How the Joker Fell in Love
by axelkairi
Summary: Dangereuse St. Richards is captured by the Joker and crazyness happens. Story is waaay better than this summary haha. Read and review please! One of my older stories, so if you don't like it, check out my newer stuff. I recommend it highly
1. INTRO

How The Joker Fell In Love INTRO

**Name:** Dangereuse St. Richards (Danger)

**Age:** 19

**Description:** Long, layered, black hair that goes to about the middle of your back. Dark chocolate brown eyes, almost black. Extremely pale, due to the fact that you hate sunlight and almost never leave your room except for school. You wear black mascara, heavy black eyeliner, powder, black lipstick, black lipliner, and black nail polish.

**Background:** Her parents were teenage parents, and her dad left her mom when she was only a few months old. Her mom put her up for adoption, and a few weeks later shot herself because her life was so screwed up from having her. So she got adopted at two years old, and her new parents are Harry and Lee St. Richards. She doesn't know her parents' names, or anything about them. She lives in Gotham City and goes to Gotham High. She's a senior, and about halfway into the school year, so she's basically ready to graduate. Her adopted parents are from France, so the language kinda rubs off on her. She speaks french sometimes =3


	2. Chapter 1

How The Joker Fell In Love Part One

_"I will break into a fight with what's written on my heart. I will BREAK!!!!"_

"Ugh..." Danger moaned, and reached her hand over to her bedside table, trying to find her alarm clock with her eyes closed. She finally found the button after knocking countless papers and bobbie pins on the floor and turned it off.

She sat up, forcing her eyelids to open. She didn't even want to imagine what she looked like right now. She got up and changed into a black long sleeved shirt, with a red and black striped sweater-ish shirt over it that had no shoulders and one of the sleeves wasn't even attached to the shirt. She pulled on her red socks, then her tight black jeans, then her fingerless black leather gloves. She walked to her bathroom.

Putting on her makeup, she thought about how annoying mundane her life had become. Get up, change, put on makeup, straighten hair, go downstairs, eat breakfast, then drive to school. And, of course, her "parents" woke up early just to say good morning to her and wish her a good day. Sure, they loved her, and it was sweet, but why did they have to care so much? They were pratically the only reason she hadn't dropped out of school by now.

School. Gotham High. You know, for a school with Goth in its name, you'd think more people would be leaning toward that side of the social universe. Definately not the case. Every single person in that entire school worshipped Hollister and the Brangelina twins. Oh my god, she could never relate to any of them. And, of course, her teachers didn't understand her, because they'd all gone to perfect, prim, and proper Gotham High when they were her age, too, and they had been all perfect, prim, and proper cheerleaders and football players, just like everyone else.

She sighed as she tucked a stray strand of hair back in its place, then headed downstairs. She felt so out of place here.

As she walked down the stairs, she head the news, and knew that Harry was sitting in his chair, eating his Lucky Charms like always, while Lee knitted herself a new scarf, even though she probably had enough to fill a museum by now, at the rate she was going. And for nineteen years? Really? Who in God's name needs that many scarves?

She stopped at the foot of the steps to listen.

_"Once again, the Joker has killed yet another Batman imposter. Why does he have such a grudge against the caped criminal? Sheryl and I will discuss this, along with the cheif of the Gotham Police Department, Jim Gordon, after a quick look into the work to clean up the Gotham Childrens' Hospital. As you remember, it was blown to pieces by, you guessed, the Joker, only a few days ago. Thankfully, all the children were evacuated, all except for little Jamie Kholler. We will now take a moment of silence in his memory..."_

Danger stood where she was, hardly breathing. She held a lot of respect for those who'd died at the Joker's hands, especially Jamie. He was her ex best friend's little cousin, and even with that ex in place, she didn't hate her enough not to mourn her ten-year-old autistic cousin with her.

Helen Kholler was her name. She knows her name's old-fashioned and horrible, but she's made a nickname for herself: Helen Keller. She got it from all the good deeds she's done by helping her community. Sure, she helps out, but she's the biggest bitch in the school. That's, of course, where the ex comes from.

See, when some preps were making fun of Danger, Helen should've protected her friend. Of course she should've. That's what friends do. But apparently, according to Helen, friends ditch their friends and join bitches in making fun of their friends.

And that was when she'd condemned herself to a life of slaving over Gossip Girl and 90210.

The moment of silence ended, and the news reporters continued to look over the reconstruction of the childrens' hospital.

Danger stepped into the kitchen and fixed herself a bowl of cereal.

"Good morning, Dangereuse," Lee said, looking up from her scarf for just a moment. _An orange scarf, _Danger thought sarcastically, _how bold._

"Morning, Lee. Morning, Harry." Danger never called them mom and dad, and as far as she knew, they it didn't bother them. She knew them well enough to know that if something bothered them about her, they'd say it. Or at least Lee would.

"How about that Joker, huh?" Harry asked. "He's pretty crazy, isn't he?"

Danger just nodded. She sat down at the table and ate her cereal. She glanced at the clock. Ten minutes till she had to leave. That was enough time to eat.

"What's the matter, Danger? Cat got your tongue?" Harry leaned over the armrest and turned to look at her. "Are you afraid of that guy?"

Danger looked at him like he was crazy and swallowed her spoonful. "Afraid? Of _him_? Please." She ate another bite, then continued. "He's just some crazy guy on a rampage. Batman'll get him, sooner or later."

"The Batman?" Lee nearly exclaimed, faltering in her knitting. She went back a few stitches and started again. "I don't understand your faith in that character. I say they're both crazy. One's going around killing people dressed as a clown, and the other's going around scaring people to death dressed as a bat. I'm not sure which one is worse!"

"How can you not have faith in him?" Danger defended. "He got rid of that toxic gas that was making everybody crazy, _and_ he put all those lunatics back where they belong. Then he got rid of that creepy Harvey Dent -"

"And another thing about you, young lady!" Lee raised her voice to cut Danger off. "Stop referring to Mr. Dent as if he was some sort of villain. He was a good man! The White Knight of Gotham! And you should respect that!"

"But he was Two-Fac-"

"Enough!" Lee threw her hands up, dropping her needles and scarf. She looked at the clock after a long moment of silence, then said. "Dangereuse Etoiles St. Richards, it is time for you to go to school." She waited, and when Danger didn't get up, she added, "Go on, now, young lady. Don't be late, or it's another detention for you." She sat down again and picked up her needles, and resumed knitting.

Danger sighed and stood up, leaving her breakfast practically untouched on the table, not even bothering to put it away. She grabbed her Flyleaf tote and stomped out the garage door, slamming it behind her.

She got in her black Volkswagon Beetle and slammed the door shut. She didn't understand them. They refused to realize the obvious truth! All they did was listen to whatever bullshit was posted on the news, just like everyone else in this pathetic city.

"Harvey Dent was no knight," Danger said angrily as she pulled out of the driveway and sped away from the house. "The Batman is the true Dark Knight of Gotham City."


	3. Chapter 2

How The Joker Fell In Love Part Two

Danger sat in her second bell, American History, not paying any attention to the declining economy at present. She knew she had to vote, but she really just didn't care.

She let her mind drift to this morning. It was spirit week at Gotham High, and Wednesday was Superhero/villain day. A bunch of people were dressed as Batman or Superman, or Wonderwoman or Catwoman. But one fateful kid decided to dress up as the Joker.

He had the whole ensemble. The green shirt with a tie, the purple coat, the greasy hair (which he'd colored green), and his face was painted perfectly. He was this spitting image of the Joker himself.

Too bad Helen had to point it out.

She'd faked a scream when she saw him, then sighed and walked up to him. "What are you trying to do?" she asked reproachfully. "Give everyone here a heart attack?"

"What are you talking about?" the kid asked. He was a freshman, so naturally Helen was gonna pick on him.

"That outfit'll get you kicked outta school!" she exclaimed. "Besides, who'd wanna dress up as that crazy-ass?"

"The Joker's not crazy!" the freshman defended. "He's awesome! He's way better than Batman!" He said the name Batman with obvious disgust.

"Now you're just as crazy as that ridiculous clown!"

Danger had seen a few guys at the food delivery semi-truck look over at the scene, then nonchalantly shrug and look away, getting back to their duties.

Danger studied them more closely. They looked fine, like the kind of guys that normally come each week, but there was something weird about them. Something odd about how they'd looked at the fight for an extra second than necessary for just a casual observation. As if something about it bothered them, or was important somehow...

Besides, the food delivery truck had already been there earlier that week, on Monday.

Danger shrugged it off, but kept the workers in her peripheral vision. She walked up to Helen and the freshman, getting in between them. "You guys don't know what you're talking about. Either of you. The Joker's just some guy doing some really weird shit, but as far as he cares, he's right. Isn't that how most of you guys feel when you're... I don't know... arguing with your parents or something?"

"How would you know?" Helen interrupted snidely. "You don't even have real parents, remember? They didn't want you." She stuck out her bottom lip to make it look as if she'd been crying, trying to mock Danger.

Unfortunately for her, it didn't have any effect. Danger just continued. "No matter what anyone else thinks, he thinks he's right. And that's why he does what he does. He has a reason, whether it's demented or justified, and that should be respected. Not worshipped." She looked pointedly at the freshman, and Helen laughed. Then Danger turned to Helen. "And not pathetically feared, either. Just respected."

Danger had turned around, done with her speech, but she caught a quick glimpse of the workers in the corner of her eye. They'd been watching her closely, and the second they'd sensed her eyes on them, they had gone readily back to work.

Danger let out a little sigh. She hated how dumb some people could be, especially Helen. She used to be smart, and fun, and nice, but ever since that terrible day, she'd turned cold-hearted and cruel, just like most of society nowadays.

So sad...

In the middle of the teacher's lecture, the intercom buzzer went on, and the school heard Mr. Mader's voice. It sounded kinda strained, like he was worried about something, maybe even scared.

"Lockdown, lockdown, we are going into lockdown! This is not a drill! The Joker -!" He was cut off by some sort of clapping sound.

Somebody sighed. "Why doesn't anyone ever follow directions?"

A loud bang sounded on the intercom, and everything went silent.

But not for long.

Every girl in the school was screaming, every teacher trying to calm everyone down while locking the doors (like it would do any good), and every guy trying to act tough and help the girls.

Everyone was freaked out.

Everyone but Danger.

Sure, she was kinda scared. But not enough that she got out of her seat like everyone else and caused mass hysteria.

The intercom buzzer went off again, then someone started speaking. Well, more like yelling to be heard over the screaming and panic that was going on.

"All of you, stop screaming! For each second longer that you all scream, another one of these poor office people die!"

Another shot.

Helen and a few other girls screamed again.

"Really?" the man asked. "You guys are really terrible."

Yet another shot, and a scream from the intercom.

Helen whimpered and clung on to one of the guys in her group in the corner that everyone had huddled to.

"That's much better," the man said, sounding more relaxed now. "So, since your principal refused to follow a few simple directions, I have to get this done myself. Let's see if I can get this right." He cleared his throat, then said in a lower voice, "Dangereuse St. Richards to the office, please. Dangereuse St. Richards to the office. Thank you." The intercom buzzer went off, and Danger's classroom burst into chaos.

Helen was the first to reach her. "OHMIGOD DANGER YOU CAN'T GO DOWN THERE!!!!!!"

Danger flinched away from her hand. "I have to! If I don't someone else is probably gonna die! I'm not gonna let someone else die just to save me!"

Ms. Melrose stood up on her desk to see Danger in the crowd. "Danger, there's no way you're going down there! I won't let you! I am responsible for your safety and I -"

The intercom buzzer went off again, and everyone went silent immediately.

It was quiet for a few seconds, then there was laughter on the loudspeaker. "Wow, I _love_ that effect!" He laughed a little more, then continued. "Okay... Danger, you've got one chance to get down here before I blow up half this school. Just come quietly and everyone else'll be fine. I promise!" He ended his sentence with some wild, high-pitched laughter, then the intercom buzzer sounded again.

This time, people were actually shoving her out the door and into the hallway. The second she was out of the room, the slammed the door shut and locked it.

Danger took a moment to gather herself, then took a deep breath and starte walking. To think, all of this was happening on Spirit Week. How ironic.

There were decorations all over the walls, but now they just seemed to mock her. Smiling heroes and heroines now almost laughed at her, relieved it was her, not them, that had to face him. Whoever he was.

Danger was a few steps away from the door when she realized who it was. She hadn't even seen him yet, but she knew.

The Joker.


	4. Chapter 3

How The Joker Fell In Love Part 3

Danger froze in place for a moment, weighing her options. Go inside, she'd probably die. But if she didn't, half the school's poplutation would _definately_ die, and most likely, the rest would follow soon after.

She sighed. She'd never been the selfish type; she couldn't just take what she got and walk away, leaving everyone else to burn to death. She knew she had to go in, for everyone else. Who knows, they might actually have some respect for her in death. She took a deep breath and opened the door, stepping in slowly.

The Joker turned immediately, the bottom half of his body still turned away from her. Once he saw her clearly, he grinned and turned around completely, walking a few steps toward her. "Good job, Danger," he said, stopping a few feet away from her. He was so close that she could see his scars underneath the red makeup, and it made her sudder involuntarily. "At least you can follow directions. There may be hope for this school after all!"

Danger couldn't speak. It wasn't the fact that the Joker was staring her down only three feet away; no, of course not. She'd already said she wasn't afraid of him, and she wasn't a liar. But the stench of blood was filling the room and invading her senses, making her feel like if she opened her mouth, she'd vomit.

"What's the matter?" The Joker asked, his grin faltering only slightly. His eyes flickered to anger quickly, then back to that creepy look he had before. "Afraid of clowns?"

"No," she answered stiffly, holding back the urge to gag. She tried not to breathe as she continued. "And I'm not afraid of you, either."

The Joker chuckled a little, then burst out laughing, the same high-pitched laughter he had had before. He laughed for nearly thirty seconds, almost longer actually, before he stopped. He took two steps, and was right in front of her, his switchblade already out.

Danger had to look up a little to look into his eyes. But right at eye level, just above his lips, were his stitched up scars. She couldn't help letting her eyes travel to them, then couldn't pull her gaze away.

The Joker twitched one side of his mouth up in a crooked smile. "You know what, Danger?" He took another step closer and pressed the switchblade in the side of her mouth, all in one fluid movement. He was pressed up against her, holding her close by the back of her neck, his fingers tangled in her hair, his thumb stroking her cheek. "You wanna know where I got these scars?"

"Your dad?" Danger said defiantly, taking care to remember the knife as she spoke. "Your wife? Your cousin, your aunt, your uncle? What member of your entire family hasn't completely screwed you over?"

"Well, actually," the Joker responded, "this one isn't a _family_ member. You get to hear a whole new story, my dear. Not like any you've heard before, believe me."

The Joker repositioned himself a bit, then opened his mouth to begin his story.

Then, police sirens cut him off.

The Joker's smile disappeared immediately, replaced by a very becoming type of growl. "Who the hell called the police?" he demanded of his minions. He grabbed one by his shirt. "_You_ were supposed to cut the phone lines!"

"I did!" the man defended, but the Joker slit his throat and let him fall with the dead office faculty.

"Who the _hell_ called the police?" he roared again.

"Hey!" Danger yelled, getting his attention immediately. She held up her cell phone. "Most teenagers have cell phones, ya know. Someone probably called the cops with theirs."

The Joker stomped up to her and grabbed her phone from her, ignoring her exclaims of protest, and snapped it in half.

Danger's jaw dropped to the floor. "I just got that last weekend!" she yelled, still staring in shock at the pieces of her favorite thing in the world all over the floor.

"You're good with people, right?" the Joker asked suddenly, completely up in her face.

"Do I look like I'm good with people from around here?" Danger retorted.

The Joker simply shrugged. "You'll have to do." He grabbed her and put the bloody switchblade to her throat, all before she had a chance to blink. She couldn't get over how fast he was. "Look like a hostage," he said to her and turned her around. He started walking awkwardly out the door, pushing her feet forward with his when she refused to move.

Danger decided it was in her best interest not to say anything, so she complied and tried to look scared. It wasn't really as hard as she'd expected, but then again, she couldn't really be a good judge of that. She hoped she looked scared, at least.

The Joker pushed open the doors and walked outside. The police cocked their guns and aimed at him. "Ah!" he warned, holding up a finger with the hand that held the switchblade. "You valiant officers wouldn't want to see darling Danger here hurt, would you?"

The police hesitated, and one of the officers lowered his hand. Everyone lowered their guns.

"That's much better," the Joker said, then continued walking, straight on through the group of police. He turned around when he'd gotten through the mob, making sure Danger was facing them. "And, by the way, this school is about to blow up in..." he glanced at his watch "... about ten seconds, so I suggest..."

He hadn't even finished his sentence before the cops started running into their cars to excape the blast.

He smiled, then lowered his head a little. "Great acting, my dear," he whispered in her ear. "Now, if you want to live, you'll run to that truck and wait for me."

Danger clenched her teeth. She hated feeling helpless, but she definately didn't want to die, especially by this freak. She was starting to doubt her own words. Maybe he _was_ as crazy as people say.

She felt the Joker smile, then he pushed her toward the truck. "Three seconds," he said.

Danger did as he said and ran as fast as she could toward the truck. The moment she made it, the Joker grabbed her by the waist again and jumped into the truck, just as the school blew up. The door closed on the flaming scene when the truck lurched forward at a quick eighty miles per hour.

She stumbled, but the Joker still had his arm around her. She glanced around when she'd steadied herself. "Where am I supposed to sit?" she asked, glancing at the chairs that had been bolted down to the floor so they wouldn't slide. Every one of them was full except for one in the back.

"With me, my dear," the Joker said, smiling again. He dragged her to the chair with him, then sat her on his lap when he sat down.

Danger tensed up and looked away from him, but he turned her head with his gloved hand and forced her to look straight into his eyes. Danger felt her face heat up, both in embarressment and disgust at how close his face was to hers: not even an inch apart. She could feel his breath on her face when she spoke.

"I never got to tell you that story, did I?" he asked, his smiled slowly fading into a more serious look.

Danger just glared at him, refusing to speak.

"No need to look that way, my dear," the Joker said, stroking her cheek with his thumb again. "Now, where to begin..."

"What?" Danger asked, catching him off guard for a second. "No knife this time?"

The Joker smiled again. "I think that point's been proven. But, if you'd rather..." He started reaching into his pocket.

"Actually -" Danger caught his hand with hers, and his eyes snapped back to her face immediately, all traces of his smile gone. Danger couldn't find her voice for a moment; it was hard for her to concentrate with him looking so intently at her, practically studiously, as if seeing her soul through her eyes. "You can go ahead without the knife. You're right; the point was proven."

The Joker stared at her for a minute longer, then sighed. He put his hand back on her face, the other steading her by her waist, and began.


	5. Chapter 4

How The Joker Fell in Love Part 4

"You see, beautiful," the Joker started out, licking his lips, "when I was in high school, there was this girl. I really... _really_ liked this girl."

"What was her name?" Danger asked boldly, knowing she shouldn't speak, but refusing to be intimidated.

The Joker didn't seem to be bothered by her question. "Pepper Antoinette McGarrath," he said softly, his eyes glazing over with memories. "She was beautiful. Kinda like you, my dear," he said, smirking slightly. "But she didn't have your pretty hair. She was blond, with blue eyes, and she was almost as pale as you.

"So, you see, I tried... _very_... _hard_... to make her mine... but after a while... I realized that she just wasn't interested. So, I decided I could just be her friend for a while; maybe she'd warm up me eventually, I thought.

"Well... that's not exactly how it worked out.

"See, one day, she was being nicer than usual. I thought maybe she'd decided to give me a chance. But when I asked her again, she... she..." He licked his lips, and closed his eyes. When he opened them, they were filled with hatred. He spoke again, his voice getting deeper, back into that growl he'd had before. "She _laughed_ at me. As if it was some sort of joke. She called me a joker, and since that day, it stuck. Since that day, she always smiled whenever she saw me. But I could see the way her smiles mocked me... _every_... _day_...

Then, his voice started getting higher, almost to a hysterical point. He was smiling, a sad, crazy smile, and deep behind it, there was a sort of fear that Danger couldn't miss. "I felt like I'd never _smile_ again. And there she was, _every day_, rubbing her smiles in my face. I just wanted to smile again." His smile faded, and the sadness returned, even worse than before. Danger could practically feel her heart breaking looking at his face.

"So, that's when I did _this_ -" he gestured with his hand to his scars, then put it back on her face "- to my face. I was so happy; now there would _always_ be a smile on my face, just like Pepper. I wanted to show her that I was happy again, so I went to her house to see her.

"She'd been home alone for a week while her parents were on a trip, and they were supposed to come home that night. I knocked on her door, and she answered. I expected her to smile, like she always did, but instead, she screamed.

"I was confused. I took her inside and shut the door, trying to get her to sit down and tell me what was wrong. She just kept screaming, and trying to get away from me. That's when I got angry. I told her that I'd done this for her, that I'd done _everything_ I'd _ever done_ for _her_! But she wouldn't listen.

"She looked so scared, it was driving me crazy. I just wanted to see her smile again. I just wanted to see her smile..." His eyes glazed over again.

"What happened then?" Danger asked, breaking him from his trance.

The Joker was silent for a while, but then he answered. "I did the same to her," he replied shortly. "She bled to death. I left the town and came here. I've never gone back."

Danger let her shoulders drop. It was so sad what had happened, she could hardly bear the weight of it. "I'm sorry," she said quietly, resting her hand on his cheek. She could feel the scar under her palm, and couldn't stop herself from taking her hand away.

The Joker looked a little surprised when she'd touched his scar, but when she flinched away, his face became emotionless. It was obvious he'd expected it.

Surprising herself, Danger let herself touch it again, practically examining them with her fingers and eyes. She caught the look of surprise in his eyes, then a kind of soft look came over his face.

Danger looked him in the eyes, resting her hand on the side of his face. "Did you stitch them yourself?" she asked quietly.

The Joker nodded. "Yes," he whispered, hardly moving his lips. For a moment, he just stared at her, then he seemed to get his head back. He looked away and leaned back, taking his face away from her hand. "It's not like anyone else would've done it for me," he said reproachfully.

Danger opened her mouth to say something, but the Joker put his hand over her mouth. "No," he interrupted, smiling a little. "There's nothing to say, my dear."

The truck came to a stop in front of an old apartment building. It had boarded-up windows and looked old enough that it would collapse if a bird landed on the roof.

The Joker put his badass face back on and stood up, grabbing her by her arms, just below her shoulders. He had his knife at an angle in one hand so that it just barely touched its tip to her throat. His buddies opened the back door, and they jumped out. Danger was careful to lean her head back when they jumped so the knife wouldn't kill her.

She looked at the building, confused.

"Welcome to your new home, sweetheart," the Joker whispered in her ear.

Danger let out a humorless laugh. "You've gotta be kidding me," she replied. "How can I live _here_?

The Joker took one hand off her arm and slid it around her waist. "We can work it out," he whispered, pulling her slightly closer to him.

Danger blushed and tensed up. That had a little bit of double meaning that she did not like.

The Joker laughed, walking inside with her. His buddies followed.

"Are they gonna be here, too?" Danger asked. She didn't like the idea of being stuck in a building with the Joker, but she _really hated_ the idea of being the only girl stuck in a building with the Joker and all his cronies with, most likely, even worse ideas than the Joker himself.

The Joker chuckled a little and stroked the side of her face with the knife. "Don't worry, beautiful. They'll be staying in the basement. We get the top floor."

Danger was relieved. That is, until she processed the full extent of his sentence. "Wait a sec - We?"

The Joker smiled and led her to the stairs, while his buddies went to a different set of stairs. "We," he confirmed, letting go of her and shoving her to the stairs.

Danger scoffed at him, then walked upstairs, as dignified as possible. She heard his buddies chuckle a little, and turned to glare at them. Before she could fully turn around, the Joker pushed her up some more steps, and the goons were out of sight.

Danger straightened her back and lifted her chin. She wouldn't let him demean her anymore than he already had. She had to be strong in this situation. She sighed quietly, though, when she thought about her parents. She wished she was more prepared for this.

They were on the second floor. One more to go. Danger picked up her pace.

She was actually kind of anxious to see where the Joker lived. She'd never heard anything on the news saying that they found an old home of his or something, so she wondered if he'd moved even once since he'd become Gotham's Most Wanted.

When he opened the door, she wasn't really surprised. There wasn't much there at all. Just a bed, an open closet, a door leading to a bathroom, and a few sheets and towels and clothes scattering the floor.

Danger sighed. "You really need to get organized," she said, walking around.

The Joker shut the door behind him and walked up behind her. "I don't really have much time for that, if you haven't noticed."

Danger opened her mouth to retort, but her breath was knocked out of her when he wrapped his arm around her waist again and pulled her to him roughly. Her head was thrown back, and she could feel his breath on her neck, his lips. He brushed his fingers against the side of her face and tightened his arm around her.

"Uh..." Danger tried to say something, but she could hardly make a sound. She felt violated, but what disgusted her the most was that she actually kinda liked it.

But despite that, she knew she had to end it. She tried to think of something to say, but the Joker started kissing her neck and pulling her tighter against him. It was getting increasingly harder to think.

"Where are my clothes?" she asked suddenly.

"Hm?" the Joker asked, not really paying attention. The hand on her waist started to move up.

Danger tensed, and tried again. "My clothes. I have to have somehting to change into, right?" The Joker paused, and she took advantage of the moment of clearheadedness. "You can't expect me to sleep in these clothes, or wear them tomorrow or something, do you?"

The Joker sighed angrily and pulled away, walking to the closet. "I'll get someone to get your clothes. You can sleep in this." He pulled a long black button down shirt from a hanger and threw it at her.

The caught it and looked at it. It was clean, perfect; it looked like he'd never worn it before. She looked back up at him. "Thank you," she said.

His eyebrows pulled together slightly, then he shrugged a little. "I'll be back up." He walked over to her and looked her in the eyes. "Don't leave this room," he warned, then left, locking the door behind him.


	6. Chapter 5

How The Joker Fell in Love Part 5

The Joker locked the door behind him and sighed. God, that girl was a handful.

He walked down the stairs. Of course she'd stop him. He should've guessed she would. But the way she'd looked at him, touched him... It made him think, maybe...

The Joker laughed, a low, humorless laugh. "Maybe," he mocked. "And maybe Pepper will come back from the dead and apologize." He let out another laugh, then opened the door that led to the basement and walked down those stairs.

It was strange, though. She was nothing like Pepper, but he felt drawn to her in almost the same way.

He shook his head. No, it wasn't the same. With Pepper, he'd felt love. Deep, real love. But with Danger...

He couldn't describe it. But it was there. _Something_ made him take her from the school, instead of just killing her with everyone else. He just wasn't sure _what_.

The Joker opened the door and stepped in the room. One of his men closed the door and locked it after him, then stepped back with the others.

The Joker opened his arms. "Perfect," he said, smiling. He let his arms fall. "You know, normally I'd make some sort of speech, but since I have a guest to entertain, I'll save it and make this short." He pointed out about ten people, and they got in a group next to him. "Now, the rest of you all got out of the truck today, right?" He saw most of them nod, then continued. "All right. So basically, all of you have been seen, and I can't take the risk of someone seeing you again." He tossed a few machine guns to the men at the group next to him. "So yeah, you're all gonna die." He paused, then pointed at one of the men in the front. "You. I need you to get some girl's clothes. The more expensive, the better." He turned to the group. "Kill everyone but him," he instructed, then left.

He shut the door behind him just before he heard shouts and gunshots. He smirked. If he wasn't so used to it already, he'd be surprised that those close friends could kill each other so mercilessly.

He'd already seen it enough in his life to not be.

He headed back upstairs, his thoughts wandering again to Danger.

Now, _she_ was one of the few things that could confuse him. Everyone he'd ever seen was afraid of him, except for the Batman of course, but her...

She was afraid, he knew that much, but she could contain it. It was almost like she wouldn't let herself be afraid.

She'd been afraid when he'd kissed her, that much was obvious. But she was able to think, at least enough to get him distracted. That was surprising, as well, since most people panic when they're afraid. They don't think until the moment before they die, and sometimes not even then.

She was like one of those heriones you only hear about on Saturday morning cartoons. Fearless, invincible, indipendant...

The Joker narrowed his eyebrows. Nobody could be that strong. They'd have to hide everything away. No one brain could take that much stress, that much supressed emotion.

He shook his head. He needed to stop thinking about her so much. He didn't want to get attached. She'd serve her purpose, and then...

Well, he'd figure that out later.

Danger looked up as the door opened and the Joker stepped through. She blushed as she remembered what had happened earlier, and looked away, hiding her face with her hair.

"What's the matter, beautiful?" the Joker asked.

Danger didn't answer. She felt awkward around him now, which was completely unreasonable. Either way, she didn't want her voice to shake, so she said nothing.

She heard his footsteps coming closer, then sat next to her on the bed. She looked up at him in surprise just as he put his arm around her and pulled her close. She was looking directly into his eyes. She blushed again and turned her head away.

The Joker chuckled. "Are you afraid of me?" he mocked.

Danger snapped her head back to look him straight in the eyes. "I told you before, I'm _not_ afraid of you."

The Joker raised his eyebrows and grinned, in an oh-yeah? kind of look. He looked almost amused by her. "Really?" he asked, speaking slowly, as if challenging her.

She moved her face closer to his, practically so their noses were touching. "Really," she confirmed.

In less than a second, the Joker had her pinned to the bed, leaning over her, his face just as close as it had been, if not closer. He looked at her for a second or two, then smiled bigger. "See that in your eyes, precious?" He leaned forward, so when he spoke, his lips brushed hers. "It's fear."

Danger scoffed and turned her head the other way.

The Joker chuckled a little, then whispered in her ear. "You can't be strong forever, my dear," he said quietly, his breath tickling her neck. He leaned closer, and Danger could feel practically every line of his body pressed against hers. It made her face red-hot. "I'll break you, beautiful, sooner or later."

Danger shivered as his breath sent chills down her spine.

The Joker laughed softly, then seemed to finally realize the situation.

Danger saw the look in his eyes change as he saw that she was helpless. "Don't even think -"

The Joker cut her off by putting his hand over her mouth, turning her face back toward him. He looked at her for a long while, then said, with a strangely serious face and tone, "I burn churches. I massacre neighborhoods. I blow up schools and children's hospitals. I kill anyone that gets in my way. But I'd kill myself before I take advantage of a teenage girl."

Danger's eyebrows pulled together in confusion. She could hardly process what he was saying. This guy was supposed to be an insane killing machine with no morals or consciense, and now he was practically being noble? It didn't make sense.

He got up off of her and gestured to the bathroom. "Go... take a shower or something," he mumbled, then walked to the other side of the room to look out the window.

Danger sat up slowly, watching his every move. She half expected him to turn around and kill her at any moment, like a horror movie. But he just stood there, looking out the window, staring at something she couldn't see.

She sighed and decided that she did need a shower.


	7. Chapter 6

How The Joker Fell in Love Part 6

Danger shut the door behind her, glancing around her. The bathroom was a mess. There was green hair dye in the sink and the shower, all over the tub bottom and the counters, and drops of it splattered the floor. There were old socks in the corner behind the door, and one disgusting, hairy brush on the counter. Danger walked over to it, knowing she'd need it after her shower. She examined it from afar, trying not to gag at the thought of cleaning it. It would be gross, but there was no way she'd use it the way it was.

She sighed. How could anyone get clean in a bathroom this dirty?

Then again, the Joker never really looked clean. He just looked all greasy and sociopathy.

Danger walked back to the door and reached her hand to the doorknob, until she realized it didn't have a lock. She shivered at the thought of the Joker opening the door, thinking she was dressed, when she was actually just stepping out of the shower.

She swallowed the bile rising in her throat. She shook her head, looking through a pile of dirty towels, trying not to touch them too much. _Batman'll come,_ she thought, picking out the cleanest looking towel and setting it on top of the toilet next to the shower. _He will, won't he?_

She nodded to herself. "He will," she confirmed, hardly aware she was speaking out loud.

She turned on the shower and started to undress, her whole body shivering. She was about to take a shower, with the Joker in the room next door, with a door without a lock.

This could be one of the dumbest decisions of her life.

Danger opened the bathroom door, her hair wrapped up in a white towel dyed green, and her body covered by a purple towel that actually didn't seem to have any green dye on it, surprisingly. She stuck her head out, looking around the room, making sure the Joker wasn't there.

Satisfied, she walked out and to the bed where she left the Joker's shirt. It was still there, kinda crumpled a bit, though, from when she and Joker had landed on it. She blushed as she remembered that.

She unbuttoned the shirt, then slipped off the purple towel. She slid her arms through the sleeves, and realized that it was made of satin. She closed her eyes as he put it on; it felt so good. She'd always loved satin, actually even more than silk. It was so flowy and fun, but it was really sexy, too. And it was so cold...

Wait a second. The shirt couldn't possibly be that cold. Her shoulders were freezing! She turned her head and was met with the Joker's dark eyes.

She screamed and covered herself up, moving away from him as fast as she could while he burst into hysterics. She ran to the other side of the bed, crouching down to cover her exposed legs.

Still laughing, the Joker took off his long purple coat and threw it at her. He didn't say anything about it; he just kept laughing as she put it on.

"H-How lo-long where y-you st-st-standing there?" she asked, stuttering frantically. Her face was burning up, and she could only imagine how red she was.

"The whole time, beautiful," he boasted, walking toward her as he spoke. "And I must say, purple is really your color."

Danger surprised herself by making a joke. "Well, I'd wear it if it wasn't your coat."

The Joker lifted her chin up so he could look into her eyes. He had a mischeivious glint in his eyes that was really creepy. "I'm not talking about the coat," he muttered, smiling.

Danger furrowed her brow in confusion, then realized he was talking about the towel. She blushed harder and pulled away from him, taking a few steps back. "You sick pervert!" she accused.

The Joker's smile faltered a little, and Danger realized she'd just made a really dumb mistake.

She tried to say something, but couldn't find any words. She didn't want to apologize, because she knew that would sound really dumb and pathetic. _Why do you care about that?_ she asked herself angrily. _If you don't say something, he'll probably kill you!_

The Joker glanced out the window.

"I-" Danger started.

"Stay here," the Joker interrupted. He was out of the room in less than a few seconds.

He was back almost just as soon. At least, it seemed like it. He was carrying a box, which he dropped on the floor next to her. He didn't say anything. He just stood there, waiting.

Danger just stared at him for a while, waiting for him to do something, anything. It was bothering her how eerily calm he was acting after she'd insulted him. She expected him to rush her with a knife at any second, or whip out a gun the minute she moved, but he just stood there.

Staring at her.

Danger figured he was waiting for her to do something, so she took a step forward and looked at the contents of the box.

She almost screamed.

Inside were some of the most beautiful clothes she'd ever seen in her life. Forgetting all about the creepily calm Joker in front of her, she took out each piece of clothing with extreme care, as if they were all made of dust woven together so intricately that with one wrong move, the threads would break and scatter all over the room.

After laying them all out carefully on the bed, she counted six dresses, ten skirts, thirteen pairs of pants, three pairs of denim jeans, thirteen t-shirts, seven long-sleeved shirts, three blouses, six camisoles, two tank tops, a tube top, twelve pairs of shoes, and various numbers of bras and underwear that she didn't pull out because she was aware enough of the Joker to know that she probably shouldn't show them to him, lest he have some more creepy-yet-sexy lines to come up with.

Overcome with joy, she ran over to the Joker and gave him the biggest hug she'd given anyone since she was a toddler. "Thank you!" she screamed into his chest, completely forgetting the fact that he was a psycopathic mass murderer.

The Joker chuckled a little and lifted her face to look at her.

Then, Danger remembered the whole psycopathic mass murderer stuff. But of course, it was too late.

The Joker pulled her as close as possible before she could move away and started stroking her face again. "Am I still a 'sick pervert'?" he asked with a mocking smile that didn't quite reach his eyes.

Danger shook her head quickly. "But..." she whispered.

"Why?" he guessed, and she nodded. "Because, beautiful, you're gonna be staying here for while. And I don't want you complaining."

Danger smiled. She couldn't believe he was being so nice to her.

"But," he continued, "it seems like you don't appreciate what I've been doing for you." Danger's smile began to fade, and she tried to speak, but the Joker cut her off. "See, I've been nice to you so far, precious, but you haven't been returning the favor. I'd hate to deprive you," he said, sarcasm dripping from every word, "so I'll let you keep these." He nodded to the clothes. "But trust me -" his smile vanished, replaced by a look that gave Danger a chill down her spine "- I'm not gonna be nice anymore."

He ended his speech with a slap across her face, sending her slamming into the wall. She fell to the ground with a groan, rubbing the side of her head that hit the wall.

The Joker laughed. "Ya know," he said, walking up to her again, "you're beautiful when you're hurt." He grabbed her hair and pulled her up, then pinned her against the wall by her neck.

Danger gasped for breath and stared into his eyes in fear, pleading with him silently to let her go. God, she had no idea how good she had it before.

The Joker smiled even bigger, showing off his teeth that desperately needed to be brushed. "But you're even prettier when you're afraid." He laughed some more of that high-pitched laughter, then whispered in her ear, "Good night, beautiful."

Danger narrowed her eyes in confusion. Good night?

The Joker, still laughing, pulled her forward, then slammed her head back into the wall.

Danger yelped at the pain, then felt her knees buckle. She felt her head already bruised head hit the ground, then everything went black.


	8. Chapter 7

How The Joker Fell In Love Part 7

Lee hung up the phone with Mrs. Kholler, sighing. She was exasperated. She'd been at this for hours, wondering what had happened to Danger. She ran her hand through her hair, trying to think. School would've let out at 2:45, and it was 6:35.

Harry was sitting in front of the tv as usual, watching the news.

_"And now at hour ten of the school bombing. One of a million of the Joker's twisted expressions of his sense of humor, his most recent is blowing up Gotham High School, located on 3680 ..."_

"_WHAT?!?!?!_" Lee exclaimed, then ran into the room. "_TURN IT UP, TURN IT UP!!!!_"

"What is your problem, woman?" Harry roared, surprised and angry at her random outburst. Nevertheless, he obeyed her, and she listened intently on the news report.

_"So far, there haven't seemed to be any survivors, except for one nineteen year old Senior, Dangereuse St. Richards. A surviving police officer said he saw the Joker dragging her out of the school with him and into a large unmarked semi-truck. Where they've gone to, we don't know. We can only hope she will be found alive and unharmed, and offer out prayers to the St. Richards family."_

Lee was too shocked to speak. The _Joker_ had _her_ Dangereuse?

_"The scene was imagined to happen as follows: the Joker and his cronies pretended to be food delivery men for the school cafeteria, therefore gaining access to the school. We believe that Dangereuse was in the office at the time of the attack, and after the Joker had murdered all of the office staff, he took her hostage as leverage to use against the police. And now, a moment of silence for all those adults and students who lost their lives today."_

Lee still couldn't speak. She didn't even have to force herself to stay silent for the moment; she was speechless. The second the moment ended, she found her head. "We're calling the police," she announced, trying to stay calm.

"What good will that do?" Harry argued. "They're already looking for her!"

"Well, what if they aren't?!" Lee rounded on him. "They're obviously too busy dealing with dead people than to go find our daughter, who is still alive!!!"

Then, a terrible thought hit Lee. What if Danger wasn't still alive? What if what the anchorwoman had said was true, that he only used her as leverage against the police? What if he'd killed her right inside that truck, then thrown her on the side of road?

So many thoughts went through her head, and soon, tears cascaded down her face. She collapsed on the ground, her head in her hands, sobbing.

Harry knelt down beside her, stroking her hair. "Don't worry, honey," he consoled. "We'll find her. We'll call the police. They'll find her, I promise."

Lee just cried, praying to God that he was right.

Danger woke up, but didn't open her eyes. She was laying on something soft, and really comfortable, but there was something not right. She sniffed. Ugh! Yeah, something smelled _really_ bad.

She opened her eyes, then screamed, pushing herself off the bed and onto the floor so she wouldn't have to look at it.

Right beside where she'd just been lay a fox. It was so cute, so fluffy, with its bright orange tail with the white tip, and small little white paws. It was about the size of a cat. Danger would've wanted to pick it up and cuddle it, if not for the fact this its throat had been cut and its head was cracked back, exposing all its flesh from the neck down. It's stomach was cut open, and both its eyes were sliced shut. Its claws had been yanked out, and fresh blood was still dripping from the holes in its paws. And to top it off, the tail lay severed next to its body.

Danger crawled up into a fetal position, sobbing her eyes out in fear and disgust. Then, from the other side of the room, she heard the high-pitched crazy laugh of the Joker.

He clapped his hands and walked over to her. "Moments like these are priceless!" she heard him say, still laughing. He stopped in front of her and lifted her up by her hair. He looked her in the eyes, then cupped her face in his hands. "Wouldn't you agree?" he cooed, smiling innocently.

Suddenly, he turned her face so she looked directly at the fox, so quickly that she felt something pop inside her head. It felt like her skull was bleeding. She shut her eyes in pain, also not wanting to look at the disgusting creature.

"Ah ah ah!" the Joker tsked, then slapped her across the face, so hard that it stung. "Keep your eyes open! I want you to see this!"

He turned her head back, and Danger forced herself not to close her eyes. She felt the tears pouring down her face, but she resisted the urge to look away.

"Doesn't it look so cute like that?" the Joker asked, then started laughing again. He threw her down on the ground and leaned against the wall, laughing hysterically.

Danger finally got control of her crying by the time the Joker got control of his laughter. "Alright," he sighed, still smiling, "enough fun." He knelt down and turned her over, so she was lying on her back. He leaned over her so he was practically about to fall on top of her. "You're gonna do me a favor," he stated.

"Why would I do that?" Danger spat out boldly, regretting it almost instantly.

The Joker's smile vanished, and he punched her in the gut. The top half of her body flew forward in reflex, and he slapped her hard across her face. She could taste the blood in her mouth, and saw it splatter on the wall. He punched her just below her collar bone and she went flying backwards, her head slamming on the floor.

He grabbed her by the throat and slammed her head into the floor two more times, and Danger was sure there was a dent in the floorboards. She was surprised her skull didn't crack.

He slammed her head down a last time, then tightened his grip on her throat. "How about now?" he asked, smiling again.

Danger nodded groggily, not completely sure how she was still able to move her neck.

"That's better." He smiled and got up. "Now, start cleaning yourself up. We leave in a half hour."

He stood up straight and started walking out the room. "HARLEY!!!!" he bellowed.

Almost instantly, a young woman appeared in the doorway. "Yes, Mistah J?" she asked, her Chicago accent standing out prominantly in her voice.

"Get her ready for the party," he said as he passed by her. He walked through the doorway, then shut the door behind him.


	9. Chapter 8

How The Joker Fell in Love Part 8

Danger didn't try to move, even as she heard footsteps coming toward her. She was positive whoever it was couldn't be any worse than the Joker.

A girl stood before her, upside down in her vision. "Sorry bout Mistah J," she apologized, offering a head.

Danger somehow mustered the strength to take it, and the girl heaved her up. "He can get a little angry sometimes," she explained kindly, then put her arm around Danger's shoulders and helped her over to the edge of the bed.

Danger was about to sit down, but then remembered the fox. "I don't wanna sit there," she whispered, but still with force.

The girl looked confused, then saw the fox. Her face screwed up in disgust, then changed to pity. "I don't blame ya," she said, then helped her over to the bathroom.

"You don't mind sittin on the counter, do ya?" she asked, and Danger shook her head no. She set her on the edge, then dug around in one of the drawers. She set out a bunch of makeup: foundation, powder, all different shades of eyeliner and shadow, black mascara, lip gloss and lipstick, and different colors of blush. She also got out nail polish, a straightener and a curler, and some other hair produts.

"Where does he get this stuff?" Danger asked, feeling a little calmer around this girl.

She smiled. "Mistah J always seems to have just what we need, whenever we need it." She shrugged, as if she didn't question it. "Which dress do you want? I hope you remember 'em, cause I'm not carryin you back out there again."

Danger laughed a little, and the girl smiled. She thought for minute, then asked, "Which one do you think I should wear?"

She thought a minute. "Hm..." she muttered, then snapped her fingers. "I know! That one dark blue one!"

"Oh yeah!" Danger exclaimed, remembering. That one was really elegant. "But why that one? Don't you think I should wear something eye-catching, like that red dress?"

"Save that for when you really party," she advised. "This is just a fundraiser. Ya know, one of those fancy types. Besides, you wanna look cute and vulnerable. Guys can't resist that." She smiled a knowing smile, then sorted out the makeup to match the dress. "By the way, I'm Harley. Harley Quinn."

"Danger," Danger answered respectfully, smiling. Wow, Harley really made her feel comfortable. She was so glad for it, too. She really needed it in this place. "But I'm sure you already knew that," she joked.

Harley laughed a little. "Who here doesn't know you?" she agreed.

"Are you gonna be here for a while?" Danger asked, hoping she'd say yes.

"Of course!" she answered quickly. "I could never leave this place," she said, smiling fondly, as if thinking of something. Or someone... "But nevermind about that," she said quickly. "I've gotta get you ready in... twenty-five minutes now, and I can't talk!" She wet a washcloth. "Let's get you cleaned up..." she muttered, then started cleaning away her blood.

With two minutes to spare, Harley had transformed her from scared, abused captive to beautiful, innocent young woman. Her black hair was curled softly around her face, then grew wavy at the back, with her bangs straightened. Her eyes matched her dress perfectly, with dark blue eyeshadow matched with a lighter blue to add depth, black eyeliner with a little blue on the top lid, and black mascara. Her foundation and powder looked perfect, like she was never beaten and she wasn't wearing makeup. She wore a light pink lipstick, with matching gloss, pretty much the same color as her lips.

The dress was beautiful. It was a midnight blue color, with silver sparkles and rhinestones at the top, then disappeared slowly as it went down. They completely stopped by her waist. The dress was strapless, but still very elegant. It was really tight from the waist up, but from the waist down it was really flowy. Danger was pleased to find it made of satin. It went down to a little above her knees in the front, then got longer to about her calves at the back. Her shoes were dark blue sandal heels with rhinestones on the straps. She didn't have any jewelry, but the dress had enough jewelry on its own. It would be disgraceful to detract from it with jewelry, Harley'd said.

The Joker and Danger pulled up to the mansion. The Joker had been acting as her chauffeur, and he did a good job of sounding sane when he needed to.

"Now, how are you supposed to act?" he asked, his eyes on the road. Not like he was going any faster than .5 mph, with all these cars starting and stopping in front of the building.

"Innocent and out-of-place," Danger answered. He'd quizzed her on this a lot during the ride, and she was surprised at how serious he was about it. She decided she'd let him save his breath, and kept going. "My name is Rae Ledger, I just graduated from Dartmouth with a degree in art, and I love ballet."

The Joker looked a little mad that she could read him so easily, but he didn't show it too much. "Good. I'll be watching you, don't forget." He flashed her a smile that gave her chills. "Be a good girl, beautiful."

Danger knew very well how heavy of a warning that was, and she nodded.

The Joker parked the car. "Get out," he said quickly, and Danger did as he said, trying to look as normal as possible.

Once the door was shut, the Joker left, leaving her alone with a bunch of fancy old people she couldn't relate to.

Well, it was better than being stuck with him.

She sighed quietly. _I'm Rae Ledger_, she reminded herself as she walked inside. _I'm Rae Ledger, I'm Rae Ledger..._

After about an hour of being stared at and standing around without a purpose with no sign of Bruce, Danger sighed and headed over to the balcony.

But of course, karma had to hit at that precise moment.

A helicopter landed on the roof of the building, and Bruce Wayne walked in though the double doors not long after. "Sorry I'm late everyone," he announced. "Thank you all for coming!"

Danger scoffed as he started some dumb speech about whatever the fundraiser was about. She never cared for Bruce Wayne; he always had everything handed to him. He had no idea what was going on in the city. He'd probably vaguely heard of the Joker, then brushed it off since it didn't concern him.

Rich bastards.

Danger picked up a glass of champagne from a waiter walking by and pushed past the crowd to get to the balcony. It wasn't that hard. People took one look at her and moved out of her way.

Wow. She didn't realize she looked _that_ mad.

_Remember, innocent and out-of-place_, she reminded herself silently. _You're Rae Ledger here, not Danger._

She leaned her elbows on the ledge, staring at the city. She sighed. It wasn't nearly as pretty as she thought it would be.

"I don't believe I've seen you before," a voice said from behind her.

Danger turned around sharply, surprised, then saw it was Bruce Wayne. "Oh, hello, Mr. Wayne."

"Hello, Miss..." He hesitated, waiting for a name.

"Oh!" Danger almost said her real name, then caught herself. "Ledger. Rae Ledger."

"Miss Ledger," Bruce finished, nodding his head in acknowledgement. He walked over to stand beside her. "Pretty, isn't it?" he asked.

Danger turned back to the scene. "I wouldn't say that," she muttered, but caught herself too late.

"Hm?" Bruce asked. "Why not?"

Danger hesitated. "Well... I'd always wondered what it would look like from here. You know, being so high up, seeing the entire city. I always thought it would be so... I don't know, awe-inspiring. But now that I see it, it just looks the same as it would on the street: a bunch of buildings lighted up, a bunch of cars, a bunch of people." She sighed and leaned forward. "I just expected it to be different, I guess."

Bruce was quiet for a while, and Danger hoped to god she didn't say anything wrong. The Joker made sure she knew that he was supposed to be interested in her by the end of the night.

Finally, after Danger had had a silent panic attack, he spoke. "I guess you're right," he agreed. He continued. "But, if you look above the buildings..." he moved a little closer and pointed to the sky, so high up that the glare of the light didn't affect the appearance of the stars.

Danger looked with him, and couldn't help staring in wonder.

"See?" Bruce muttered. "Now, is that what you expected?"

"No, actually," Danger whispered, smiling. She turned her head to look at him, then realized how close they were. Bruce looked down at her, and their noses were practically touching. "It's better," she finished in a whisper.

It felt like an eternity that they stared at each other, then a movement from below caught Danger's eye.

An Outback Steakhouse's neon sign went out, all except for the first three letters, spelling 'Out'. It only happened for a second before the other lights came back on, but she knew it was the Joker saying it was time to leave.

She stepped back. "I have to leave," she said bluntly, then started to turn away.

"Wait," Bruce said, grabbing her by her shoulder. "Do you have a phone?"

"Uh..." Danger hesitated. The Joker hadn't said anything about phone numbers. "Uh... yeah. Hold on a sec." She dug through her purse, hoping to stall until she could think.

Maybe she could tell him that she left it at home. No, because then he'd still ask her what her number was.

But then she could say it was a new number, and she didn't know it yet! Yeah, that's perfect!

She was just about to go with that, but then she found a black Nokia. "Oh, here it is!" she said, trying to make it up as she went along. She looked up at him apologetically. "Sorry, it's a new number. Here, let me look it up."

While they exchanged numbers, Danger saw the Outback sign flash again, longer this time. She could almost hear him roaring the word at her in that scary, demonic voice he had sometimes.

"I really have to go," she apologized.

"I'll call you!" Bruce called after her as she pushed her way through the crowd.

Once in the elevator, Danger hit the close doors button and leaned against the wall. Oh my god, the Joker was gonna kill her for that if she wasn't supposed to give him that number!

She bit her lip as she walked out. She saw the black car waiting for her right outside the building and climbed in the passenger seat. She tensed and waited for him to explode.

Instead, he did something she never would've expected him to do. He congratulated her. "Good work, precious!" he exclaimed, speeding out onto the streets.

"What?" Danger asked.

"I didn't expect you to know how to act! I was all ready to kill you if you screwed up!" He smiled at her. "Do you always have to ruin my plans?"

Danger was baffled. She did something right?

"This is perfect! That bastard Wayne'll call, and we won't have to do anything! My god, he's making this almost too easy!" He laughed like a maniac, just like his driving. In no time flat, they were back to the apartment building.

They got out of the car, Danger going in first, much to her disappointment. She could've gotten a few feet away from the house if she tried to run away, but not within his sight.

The Joker shut the door and spun Danger around. "You deserve a good night's sleep, my dear," he whispered to her, still smiling, literally ear-to-ear.

Danger didn't have time to be confused. The Joker's fist collided with her forehead a split second after he spoke, and she was unconscious before she hit the floor.


	10. Chapter 9

How The Joker Fell in Love Part 9

Danger groaned as she opened her eyes to a pained feeling at her shoulders. Her forehead still hurt from where the Joker punched her, and she was sure there was a big ugly bruise right between her eyes.

But her shoulders still bugged her. She looked around, trying to find out why they hurt so much.

She was in a dark room that she hadn't seen before. The window at her side was painted black, with little beams of light shining through where the paint had chipped off, and the door on the other side of the room was closed. There was a table at her other side, but she couldn't make out what was on it. There were a lot of things; they looked shiny...

Danger gathered that she was hanging from the ceiling or the wall or something; she wasn't sure. She just knew that something was tied to her wrists, holding her up and tearing at her shoulders. Her feet dangled helplessly, and she realized her knees and ankles were tied together so they couldn't move.

The door opened, and Danger closed her eyes tightly at the sudden light. "Ow..." she muttered to herself. She opened one eye slight and saw the Joker's form sillhouetted against the light. Her eyes traveled back to the table at her side, and saw that all the shiny things were knives.

The Joker let out a quiet laugh as if he could see the fear on her face. He shut the door, drowning the room in darkness again. "Good morning, my dear," he said, sauntering lazily over to her. She could just barely make out the outline of him in the pitch blackness.

He picked up a knife, and one of the shafts of sunlight hit the blade, making it shine. It lit up the Joker's face, showing off his smile. His makeup looked fresh, but his lips weren't red. It looked like he hadn't done it yet; nothing was there. Just the chalk white makeup, barely covering up his scars.

Danger swallowed. She had a feeling it wasn't lipstick that made his lips red.

"We're gonna have some fun today," he announced, running the blade down her neck.

Danger opened her mouth, but the Joker cut her off by placing the knife inside. "Ah!" he warned, pressing the blade against the side of her mouth. "No words to say, my dear. I don't want anything to spoil this moment!" He burst into laughter and turned around, cutting a line down her collarbone as he did.

Danger yelped in pain. It wasn't a deep cut, but she could feel the warm blood on her skin. She felt her stomach turn.

The Joker smiled at the look of pain on her face. He held up the knife right in front of her face, with his face right behind it. "See that, precious?" he asked, twirling the knife slowly. The blood dripped down the knife, staining the Joker's spotted tie. "Isn't it just..." he jabbed the knife at her throat so her breath was cut off. "... breathtaking?" He laughed again, cutting another line from the top of her neck to the end of her chin.

Danger screamed shortly, then bit her lip. She tasted the blood in her mouth, and it practically made her gag.

The Joker chuckled as she coughed. He moved closer, then pressed his lips against hers.

Danger recoiled, disgusted. To think, she'd defended this monster just last morning!

The Joker smiled at her, his lips coated with her blood.

The next hour seemed to go on for an eternity. A joke here, a cut there. A scream here, a slash there. At least once every ten seconds, a new cut would appear on her body, getting deeper and deeper until Danger could swear he cut into her bone.

Danger screamed at the most recent slash, this one to her right shoulder. Blood poured down, soaking her neck and dripping onto her dress.

"Oh no!" the Joker exclaimed, staring at her dress in mock revulsion. He glanced up at her with his eyes, then smiled. "Looks like that's gonna have to be dry-cleaned." He laughed at his own joke, while Danger ground her teeth together, losing the battle against her tears.

"What's the matter, pet?" he asked, tracing his finger in her blood.

Danger's vision started to blur, then grow dim. She felt her eyelids start to close.

"I think what you need," the Joker said, running his finger over his scars, coating them in her blood, "is a great... big... _smile!!!!!_"

He burst into hysterics, and with one last slash at her cheek, Danger passed out.

Commisioner Gordon pulled up to the St. Richards' house, and parked his car on the side of the road. He sighed. He hoped they weren't too upset about their daughter, but then again, if one of his children was taken by the Joker, he'd be pretty shaken up, too.

He walked up to the door, then rang the bell. He composed himself quickly, then they opened the door. "Hello, Mrs. St. Richards," he greeted the woman, who appeared to be in her late sixties.

"Please, call me Lee," she said, gesturing for him to come inside.

He nodded. "Jim," he agreed, then stepped inside.

Lee led him to their living room, where Harry St. Richards sat in a chair slightly angled away from the television. On it, the channel nine weather report aired, but it was muted once Gordon came in. He stood up and shook hands with the Commisioner, inrtoduced himself, then sat back down.

Lee gave Gordon a seat, then pulled up a chair herself.

"So," Gordon started, folding his hands, "I feel it's best that we get straight to the point of the matter at hand. Would either of you mind telling me about Dangereuse?"

"Well -" Lee began.

"She goes by Danger," Harry interruped, gaining a quick glare from Lee.

"Really?" Gordon asked. "Why does she prefer that? Do either of you know?"

"It's kind of hypocritical that she'd go by it," Harry confessed. "She never really steps out of bounds, besides her clothing of course, but most of the time she never does anything dangerous." He sighed. "Well, now her name finally fits her, at least." He smiled slightly, but it was lost soon.

"I'm sorry, again," Gordon said.

"Don't be," Lee said. "There's nothing that could've been done." She sighed, then looked him in the eyes again. "So, what else do you want to know about Danger?"

Gordon thought for a moment. "Anything really. Anything about her can help in this case." When he was met with silence, he asked, "What were some of her hobbies?" _Is there anywhere she'd go in case she somehow got away from the Joker?_ he added silently. _That'd be a miracle._

"Well, she loves to draw," Lee answered. "She writes, she reads, she's very intellectual. She plays video games and watches movie a lot, but she never really goes outside."

"Any place she usually goes when she's not at home?" Gordon tried. He wanted to get the answers he needed without giving away too much. If he simply asked his questions straight up, they'd probably get hopeful or worried, and that's not what he needed.

"Not that I'm aware -" Lee said.

"There's a gazebo at the local park," Harry interrupted. "I found her there a lot lately with her notebook. She'd usually draw different people and places. She once went there when we got in a fight with her."

"So, that would be Woodfield Park, right?"

Harry nodded.

Gordon sighed quietly. Well, he knew enough to get him through a while at the office. He thanked them, gave them his card, then got out of the house and went on his way.

He had a feeling there was gonna be a hell of press conference waiting for him when he got back.


	11. Chapter 10

How The Joker Fell in Love Part 10

Danger woke up on her stomach. She groaned as she opened her eyes, then yelped in sudden pain.

"Oh!" she heard from her side. "Sorry! I didn't know you were awake!"

Danger sighed and turned her head to see who spoke, though she had a pretty good idea already from the accent.

Harley smiled at her, looking sheepish. "Hi there," she said.

"Hi," Danger replied. She would've smiled if it didn't hurt to do so.

"I'm sorry about what Mistah J did to you," Harley murmered, soaking a cloth in a bowl. She wrung it out. "Brace yourself," she warned lightly.

Danger clenched her teeth together, then groaned in agony as the alcohal burning her cuts. It was like a million tiny needles being stabbed into the wound, but it still wasn't nearly as bad as it had been when she'd recieved it in the first place.

"Sorry," Harley apologized, but pressed harder on the cut. "I hate havin to do this to you."

"It's okay," Danger choked out. "It's better than being carved up again."

Harley sighed, taking the cloth away to soak it again. "I hate to say it, but that's prob'ly gonna happen again."

Danger tensed up, her stomach going queasy. "Are you serious?" she breathed.

Harley nodded, wringing out the cloth. "Mistah J, he's alright most of the time. But some days... he just kinda cracks. He gets all bloodthirsty and crazy... it really scares me sometimes," she confessed.

Danger let out a humorless laugh. "When does he not scare you?"

Harley smiled. "Like I said, most days he's alright. He's got a little fight in him, but he usually just saves that for whatever poor somebody he needs to kill."

Danger was about to ask her something, but a new question came to mind. "Has he ever done this to you?" she asked quietly.

Harley paused for a moment, then sighed. "A few times, yeah." She laid the cloth on a different cut gently, then reached over to get some bandages. "It clears up pretty fast, though, so there's nothin to worry about." She covered up her cut, then gave her a smile.

Danger sighed. "How do you do it, Harley?" she asked, shaking her head.

Harley looked confused. "Do what?" she asked, soaking the cloth again.

"Stay so happy and positive," Danger clarified. "I've never been the positive kind of person, but in this kind of situation, it's pretty impossible."

Harley laughed. "I admit, it can get a little weird 'round here, but, well... there are a few things here that just make it all better." She smiled, then cut the bandage. "There!" she announced happily. "I got your arms and back done, so now I just have your legs! I'll get to your face after you get a proper rest."

"Thank you for doing this, Harley," Danger said, ignoring the sting in her cuts. She actually did feel really tired. "I think I'm gonna take you up on that, actually." She closed her eyes and laid her head on the mattress.

Harley patted her head softly. "Sleep well," she whispered kindly.

Danger "hm"ed in response, then drifted off into sleep.

The Joker kicked open the door, carrying a cardboard box under his arm.

"Hey there, Mistah J!" Harley greeted him, smiling.

The Joker didn't even acknoledge her. He walked inside and set the box on the bed, not even once glancing at Harley. "She wake up yet?" he asked, staring at Danger.

"Mm-hm!" Harley answered immediately. "She's just gettin some rest, that's -"

"We don't have time for her to rest!" the Joker snapped. He lifted his head and glared at her. "I know what you're doing; do you think that I don't know what you're doing?"

Harley stepped back. "What're you talking about, Mistah -"

He pulled down the blankets, exposing Danger's body covered in bandages. "You're _helping_ her!" the Joker accused.

"No! No! I wouldn't!" Harley stepped forward, trying to reason with him. "Mistah J, you know I'd never -"

"Shut up!" the Joker roared, backhanding her so hard across her face that she slammed against the wall. He grabbed her throat and whispered in her ear, "I thought you'd learned, Harley. I guess..." he pulled out his knife, and stuck the point against her stomach, "I'll just have to teach you again."

"Stop it!"

The Joker turned his head, then stumbled back as a thick plank of wood hit him in the forehead. He caught his balance and looked around for who'd hit him, trying to get the room to stop spinning.

When his vision cleared, he saw Danger drop the plank and rush over to Harley, helping her sit down on the bed. "Are you okay?" she asked gently, her back to him.

"I don't think you're in the place to ask that question," the Joker said, spinning her around. He smiled at her, grabbing her face with one hand, and squeezing until Danger thought her jaw bone would crack. "You know, I'm starting to think knives aren't enough for you," he said. "I should think of something more... original. Like a hole-punch, or a screwdriver."

Danger froze in place. Oh god, just thinking about what he could do with _those_...

Then, Danger felt like she leaped out of her skin.

Her purse from last night on the bedside table started ringing.

Everything was quiet in the room for a second, but it almost felt like hours. Finally, the Joker found his head. "Answer it," he ordered Danger, and she complied.

She cleared her throat, then flipped open the phone. "Hello?" she asked.

_"Miss Ledger? It's Bruce."_

Danger jumped, trying to get into Rae Ledger mode. "Uh, yeah! Bruce Wayne! What's up?" _Nice going, Rae_, Danger thought. _Very adult-like thing to say_.

Bruce chuckled. _"Not much,"_ he answered, amused. _"I was actually calling to see if you wanted to see Gizelle at the ballet tonight. What do you think?"_

Surprising, Danger actually wanted to see that. She'd been wanting to see it since she was little. "But it's impossible to get tickets! It's been sold out for months!"

Bruce laughed again. _"I think you're forgetting something, Rae."_

"What's that?" Danger asked.

_"I'm Bruce Wayne. Even if there's not a way to get them, I'll get them."_

Danger was the one to laugh this time. "How could I forget?" she joked. She suddenly remembered the Joker standing next to her, practically breathing down her neck. She took one look into his eyes, and they seemed to say it all.

_"So, what do you think?"_ Bruce asked again.

Danger nodded to the Joker. "When'll you pick me up?" she asked, not taking her eyes off of him.

He smiled.


	12. Chapter 11

How the Joker Fell in Love Part 11

Danger smiled as they clapped for _Giselle_, one of her favorite tragedies. It was the story of a peasant girl, Giselle, who fell in love with the handsome Albrecht, a nobleman disguised as a peasant boy. But another man, Hilarion, also loved Giselle, and told her the truth about Albrecht. Upon learning that her beloved was betrothed to another, she died of a broken heart.

In Act Two, Giselle was transformed into into a Wili, a spirit who haunted the woods at night, enticing men to dance until they died of exhaustion. Then, Hilarion was killed by the Wilis and Myrtha, Queen of the Wilis, forced Giselle to attempt to destroy Albrecht in the same way. But Albrecht was spared, first by taking shelter under the cross on Giselle's grave, and then by dancing with Giselle until dawn, when Giselle returned to her grave.

Danger admired the ballerinas grace and strength, the way they carried out some of the most difficult moves or uncomfortable positions so flawlessly and beautifully. She wished she could be so perfect, so graceful, and sighed when she remembered that it was not to be.

For how can one be graceful and beautiful after being tortured by a monster?

"Did you like it?" Bruce asked as they walked out of the theater.

"I loved it," Danger replied, forcing a smile she hoped was convincing. From the look on Bruce's face, it appeared to be good enough to pass. "Thank you so much, Bruce."

He smiled at her. "I'm glad," he muttered, then steered her to the right, onto the sidewalk. "Let's take a walk."

"'Kay," Danger agreed.

For a while, they just walked, looking at the scenery, things inside shops, graffiti on walls, but then Danger got a chill down her spine.

She looked over her shoulder, but didn't see anything. She just shrugged it off. Probably just the wind.

But the feeling came back a few seconds later, and Danger looked around again.

"What's wrong?" Bruce asked, stopping.

Danger stopped. "Nothing," she assured him. "Let's keep going."

God, she swore it felt like someone was watching her...

She tried to ignore it, and think of tonight. She sighed inwardly as she remembered what had happened tonight.

Bruce had picked her up in a sleek black porsche at some rich guy's house. The Joker and hsi friends had tied the old man up and stuck him in a closet, so she'd be able to play the part better. When she'd been stepping into the car, she'd looked up at the window. The Joker was smiling down at her, then gave her a wink as their eyes met.

She'd glared at him in respone, and mouthed "I hate you".

He just smiled wider, and answered "I know".

Bruce had been really nice during the car ride. He was really funny, and smart, not to mention handsome in the old sense of the word. And despite herself, she even found herself forgetting her situation more than once, and letting herself be Danger, not Rae.

And even more surprising, Bruce seemed to open up even more when she forgot.

And then, Danger had started to think...

She'd almost slapped herself. There would never be anything between her and Bruce. Ever. Even if she wasn't being held captive by the Joker, she would never have a chance. Besides, why would she want a chance? He was just some rich guy that had everything she could ever want, completed with looks, charisma, and intelligence, and not to mention he wasn't insane as far as she knew, and he hadn't threatened her or beaten her yet.

Great. She couldn't get her mind off of the Joker for long enough to think about how great a guy is. He was consuming her!

Danger had clenched the fist that Bruce couldn't see. No. She wouldn't let him. She would not let that freak do this to her.

Danger sighed, returning back to the present time.

"Hey, let's check that place out," Bruce said.

Danger smiled, following him to a small cafe. She couldn't help holding back laughter at how Bruce was acting. He'd started talking more like a teenager, she guessed because she probably had been, but he didn't really seem dumb talking like that, like most adults do.

They found table quickly, and a waiter came almost just as soon as they sat down. Bruce let Danger order first.

She almost ordered a soda, then thought better of it. She was only over twenty-one for a while, so she might as well take advantage of it.

"I'll have a pomegranate martini," she said, smiling at the waiter. She glanced at Bruce, and he grinned at her, raising an eyebrow.

"Are you even old enough to drink, Rae?" he asked, still smiling.

Oh God, she hoped that was a joke. "Shut up!" she laughed.

He laughed with her, then ordered a scotch.

Danger had no idea how long they talked, but it sure was easy talking to him. They talked about everything, anything that popped into their heads.

But no matter what they talked about or how funny it was or sad or political, she couldn't shake that feeling that she was being watched. It was really starting to creep her out now.

"Oh yeah!' Bruce exclaimed, snapping his fingers. "I'm having a party in a few nights, my house. What do you think?"

"Hm..." Danger thought about it. "A party party or a fundraiser party?"

Bruce smiled. "Party party."

Danger smiled. "It's about time," she joked.

"So?"

Danger opened her mouth, glancing up. But her soul froze the moment she laid her eyes upon a window in a closed hotel.

The Joker smiled down at her, and nodded.

Danger stared for an extra half second, then looked back at Bruce. "You'll see me there," she answered, faking a smile.

"Great." Bruce grinned widely.

Danger laughed with him about some joke he said, but let her eyes travel back to the window, where the Joker still stared, smiling.


	13. Chapter 12

How the Joker Fell in Love Part 12

Danger stomped into her room, pulling out the pins in her hair, already going on a rampage. "Who does he think he is?" she asked once she saw Harley sitting on the edge of the bed.

"Who?" Harley asked, surprised and confused at her random outburst.

Danger pulled out the clip in her hair, then the ponytail, letting it fall to her shoulders. "I mean, does he think he's fucking God or something?" She tussled her hair, looking in the mirror in the bathroom. "Ugh! He's such a..."

Her voice cut off as she saw the Joker leaning against the doorframe, smiling at her.

He raised his eyebrow and sauntered over to her. Danger took a step back with each step he took forward, until she was against the glass door of the shower.

The Joker stopped in front of her, and leaned down so his nose was touching her, and his eyes were at her level. "I'm such a what?" he asked, still smiling.

Danger opened her mouth to respond, but only ended up stuttering.

The Joker laughed softly while she tried to form a coherent sentence, then cupped her face in his hand. He leaned in closer until his lips brushed hers as he spoke. "We're going to a party tonight," he told her, whispering. "Gotham University. It'll be fun."

"Not as long as you're there, it won't," she snapped, then waited to be slapped.

The Joker just smiled. "Why, Rae!" he exclaimed. "You've been drinking!"

Danger just scoffed. "Like it'll change anything."

The Joker laughed, then whispered in her ear, "Actually, I think it'll change everything." He placed a kiss on her neck, then pulled away and walked out of the bathroom.

"Get her ready," she heard him say to Harley, then he left the room.

Danger pursed her lips. God, he was an asshole. "I think it'll change everything!" she mocked, brushing her hair. She decided to leave it how it was; still curled a little, but mostly just wavy. It looked really cute actually.

"Danger?" Harley asked out loud.

"Still in here!" Danger called out to her. She sighed angrily. Wasn't it obvious that she was still in here? I mean, she hadn't come out yet; where else did she think she was?

And why did _she_ have to get her ready? She could do it herself! It's not like she was totally helpless! The Joker probably thought so.

Danger hid a scowl when Harley walked in. Well, she'd just have to prove him wrong about that tonight.

By the time they got to GU, the party was well under way. Perfect, now they could sneak in easily.

Danger was actually having fun with this. A party was just what she needed. She had a little headache, which Harley kept insisting was because of the martini, but Danger wouldn't listen. It had nothing to do with that. She was fine, she'd protested. Alcohal didn't bother her.

They walked in easily, and no one seemed to notice the Joker among them. People had their faces painted like him in more than one occasion, so he didn't really stick out.

However, apparently Danger did. She kept getting stares from guys and girls, and she smiled at all of them.

The Joker smiled with his brows drawn together, and pulled her to his side by the waist.

"Hey!" Danger snapped. "What the hell are you doing?"

"Dancing," the Joker answered, then turned her so she faced him.

Danger raised her eyebrow. "I never took you for the dancing type, _Mistah J_," she said, immitating Harley.

"Well, there are a lot of things you don't know about me," he answered.

Someone turned up the speakers, and Man Eater by Nelly Furtado blasted throughout the room.

Danger laughed, throwing her head back. This was the perfect time to prove him wrong! She smiled at him and started to sway to the music. _Let's just see how crazy I can make him_, she thought.

The Joker raised an eyebrow at her, but kept smiling. Apparently, he didn't see the rest of the guys in the room watching her with as much interest as him.

_"Man eater, make you work hard, make you spend hard, make you want all of her love. She's a man eater, make you buy cars, make you cut cords, make you fall real hard in love."_

Danger turned around and wrapped his arms around her waist swaying with him, practically grinding. She held back laughter. She _had_ to be getting to him now.

_"She's a man eater, make you work hard, make you spend hard, make you want all of her love. She's a man eater, make you buy cars, make you cut cords, wish you never ever met her at all."_

Danger looked up at him and smiled, seeing the heat in his eyes. _See?_ she said to him in her head. _I _can_ take care of myself!_

Feeling another rebellious streak coming on, she put her hand on the side of his face and tilted her head up, capturing his lips with hers.

She felt him tense, then he slowly relaxed and kissed her back.

Danger smiled and ran her tongue across his bottom lip, then pulled away. She looked up at him through her eyelashes, grinning.

The Joker had a glazed look in his eyes as he stared at her, then it turned practically predatorial. He pulled her close to him, then leaned forward.

Danger closed her eyes in expectation of a kiss.

Instead, she heard the Joker's voice in her ear. "I know what you're trying to do," he sneered, "and it's not working."

Danger opened her eyes, but it was already too late. He pulled out his gun and shot off a few rounds into the crowd.

People started screaming and running away, while some people still danced or laughed, too drunk to know what was going on. A small group of people huddled over a kid who fell on the floor, bleeding from his shoulder.

The Joker walked through the crowd to the group on the floor, then picked up two kids with both his hands. "Is _this_ what you want?" he asked, throwing the guy and girl on the floor in front of her.

The girl huddled into the chest of the guy, and they held hands.

"Is _this_ what you want?" the Joker repeated, raising his voice. He pointed the gun at the them. "You want to be some cute pathetic couple? Well, that's _never_ gonna happen!"

Danger screamed and covered her eyes as the Joker emptied his magazine into the couple's heads. She turned away and bit her lip so hard she tasted blood.

The Joker walked up behind her, putting his arms around her waist. "Don't even try _anything_ like that again," he growled in her ear. "You're gonna be a good girl from now on. Right?"

Danger nodded frantically, and sniffled. She tried to swallow the lump in her throat, but it just hurt.

He chuckled, then kissed her ear. "Good girl," he whispered.

On the car ride, the Joker made Danger sit with him, on his lap, just like usual. He kept holding her, kissing her neck, or whispering threatening compliments in her ear.

Danger held back her tears the entire time, but once she got into the room, she lay on her stomach on the bed, and cried her heart out.


	14. Chapter 13

How the Joker Fell in Love Part 13

Danger opened her eyes, and her ears were immediately assualted by piercing screams. She shut her eyes tightly and covered her ears, curling up, trying to push away the terrible noise. She clenched her teeth.

She had to be dreaming. No one could scream like that in reality. She had to be dreaming. She was dreaming, she was dreaming. She just had to wake up. Wake up, wake up, wake up...

The screaming stopped, replaced by soft sobbing. Danger opened her eyes, then gasped and jumped away.

The Joker laughed and leaned away from her face. "Good morning, beautiful!" he laughed, knife in hand. He stepped over to a corner and spoke to someone. "It is a good morning, though, isn't it, Megan?"

The girl started muttering things to him, mostly pleading with him, but he just laughed and traced her cheek with the knife. "A good morning, indeed," he concluded.

Danger stared at the girl. Her hands had metal tent stakes shoved through them to hold her to the wall, and the same done to her feet to hold them to the ground. Her body was bleeding in almost every place imagineable, except for her face. Her face didn't have a scratch on it, but somehow, Danger imagined that it would've looked better with a few cuts.

The poor girl's makeup was smeared from tears and her face was covered in sweat. Her eyes were so scared and pained, and her mouth was cracked and bleeding from where she must've bit into it at some point. Her nose was bleeding a little from the inside, with fresh blood still pouring down into her open mouth.

The girl looked at Danger and mouthed the words "help me".

Danger clenched her teeth and shut her eyes. She turned her head away and choked back tears. God, he was cutting her up just like he'd done to her...

"Danger, this is Megan Margheim," the Joker introduced. He walked over to Danger and lifted her face to his with the hand that didn't hold the knife. "See, I bet Harley told you about my little... problem." He paused, laughing under his breath. "Well, I figured that if I had too much fun with _you_, you'd probably die. And you know that I don't want _that_..." he said, stroking her cheek.

"So!" the Joker threw his hands up in the air. "I said to myself, why does it have to be her?" He walked over to Megan. "And this... _pretty little thing_ wanted to help me," he said, lifting her chin with his finger. "See, Megan here, she idolized me. She said she wanted to get to know me, ya know, figure out how I think." He released her and opened his arms. "Well, what do you think of me now, Megan?" He cackled at the top of his lungs. "_This_ is how I think, darling!"

He slashed her across her collarbone, and she screamed again.

"_STOP IT!!!!!_" Danger screamed.

The Joker turned around. "But it's so much fun!" he protested. He opened his mouth, then seemed to get an idea. "I've got it," he said, snapping his fingers. He walked over to Danger, then grabbed one of her hands. He curled her fingers around his knife. "You should try it," he said, smiling. He walked her over to Megan, then pushed her forward.

"Please, no..." Megan begged. "Please, dear God, please don't..."

"Go on!" the Joker urged her, starting to get into his demonic voice. "Cut her up! Make her scream!"

"_NO!!_" Danger yelled at him, throwing the knife to the floor. "I will _not_ be like _you_!"

The Joker just stared at her for a few seconds. Then, he started to laugh. "Alright, alright," he chuckled. He walked over to Megan, pushing past Danger.

He stroked Megan's face. "Megan, darling, you've had enough, haven't you?"

Megan nodded frantically, then thought better of it. "Please don't kill me..." she begged, crying.

"No," the Joker agreed, coaxingly. "No, no, no, no, of course not. I'm not gonna kill you, darling. But, I'm going to offer you a trade."

Megan nodded.

"Good, good. Alright. I will let you go, bandaged, clean, and pretty, if you can do me a little favor. Just something little; it's not hard."

"Okay, okay," Megan agreed.

"Good. Now, you see that girl over there?" the Joker asked, gesturing over to Danger.

Megan nodded again.

Danger furrowed her brows in confusion. What was going on in that crazy man's mind?

"I need you," the Joker continued, "to kill her."

Danger took a step back. "What?" she asked out loud. _He just said he didn't want me dead_, she thought. _Besides, she won't do it. She couldn't._

But Megan surprised her by nodding frantically yes.

The Joker smiled. "Good girl," he praised her, then took the stakes out of her hands and feet.

The second she was free, Megan lunged at Danger, death in her eyes.

Danger screamed and ducked out of the way, running to the other side of the room. "Megan!" she yelled at her, but she didn't listen.

Megan used her nails to scratch Danger's cheek, and Danger yelped in pain. She never believed a scratch could hurt that bad. She felt the warm blood running down her face, and ran away from her. "Megan, you don't wanna do this!"

Megan answered her with a kick in her stomach, a punch in her face, and tearing out a fistful of her hair. Danger screamed and swept her leg under Megan's feet, making her fall down. She scrambled over to the other side of the room, and grabbed the first thing she saw.

Megan lunged at her again, a sharp piece of floorboard in her hand, aimed straight for Danger's head.

Danger screamed and pushed her hands out in front of her to protect herself. She shut her eyes tightly, waiting for the pain.

It never came. Danger could practically swore she sat there like that for three minutes, and she never felt pain.

Finally opening her eyes, Danger felt the breath leave her body.

Danger had picked up the Joker's knife that she'd thrown to the floor, and when she thrust her hands out, it had landed straight in Megan's heart.


	15. Chapter 14

How the Joker Fell in Love Part 14

Danger couldn't move. It didn't even seem to register in her mind that she'd just killed someone. She just sat there, staring the knife, as blood poured down from Megan's chest.

The Joker could hardly contain himself. He burst into laughter as soon as he saw her expression, leaning against the wall to keep himself standing.

Danger couldn't feel her body. She felt like some sort of etheral being; she couldn't feel anything. Not her body, the knife, the floor... It seemed like her heart had stopped beating. Her mind wouldn't work. Her blood wouldn't move. She knew she was cold, but she couldn't feel it. She knew everything that was going on, but none of it registered in her mind. It was like she was watching it from someone else's point of view; like she was a ghost witnessing the scene from a different corner of the room.

She cried without blinking, the tears simply falling from her eyes and down her face. She couldn't feel them, but she knew they were there.

Without realizing it, she let go of the knife, and Megan fell to her side on the floor, still bleeding.

"Good job, precious!" the Joker congratulated her, still trying to control his laughter. "You know what this means, don't you?"

He walked over to her, then kneeled down to her level. "You're just like me now!" he exclaimed, grinning broadly.

Danger heard his words, but she wasn't listening. She had just started to realize that Megan was dead.

She vaguely heard him saying her name, and saw that his face was confused, but he was still mostly smiling.

But after a while, since she didn't answer, the smile completely faded, and he got a look of boredom on his face.

"Useless," he muttered, getting up. He sighed as he realized that she wasn't gonna get up on her own. He frowned and shook his head. "Useless," he mumbled under his breath again, then picked her up bridal-style.

He looked at her as he walked, and growled softly as he saw the blank look on her face. "Great," he muttered, "just great."

"Hiya, Mistah J!" Harley piped, cheery as ever, when she saw him in the hallway. She lost her smile, however, when she saw Danger. "What's wrong with her?" she asked, concerned.

"She just killed Megan," he explained, a small, almost unnoticeable smile on his lips as he remembered. It disappeared soon, though, replaced by his boredom.

Harley gasped. "Ohmigod! Is she alright?" She tried asking more questions, trying to talk to Danger, but the Joker pushed her out of his way.

He nodded to a door on his side. "Open it," he snapped, and Harley obeyed without hesitation.

He walked inside and dropped Danger on the floor. Then, without a word, as quickly as he'd come in, he left.

Danger wasn't sure how long she lay there, unmoving. It felt like an eternity. She just couldn't muster the strength to get up.

She just killed someone. She just killed Megan Margheim.

Who was Megan? Danger cringed as she realized she was already using the past tense.

She probably had a family worried about her, police looking for her, maybe even a boyfriend trying to find her, trying to be brave. She probably had friends crying over her disappearance, and a school trying to calm everyone down.

Or maybe they hadn't realized she was gone yet. Danger didn't know how long she'd slept after the party; maybe she'd been here for days, or maybe she'd just gotten there. Who knows?

And how would everyone react when they figured out that she was dead? What if people knew that she'd done it? Would they take her to jail? Or would they take pity on her, since she'd been with the Joker for so long, and call her insane? They might put her in a mental hospital, or an asylum, or maybe back home, but with regular therapy sessions? How could she go back to school? But there wasn't a school anymore; the Joker blew it up. Everyone was dead. Even Helen was dead. Danger could remember a time when she'd wished for this, and now she wanted to hit herself for it. Looks like her wish had come true after all. She'd wanted to be alone, away from everyone, and fend for herself; well, she got what she wanted.

"Good job, precious!" the Joker had said. Exactly. Great job. This was all her fault. And if she hadn't defended him that morning, she wouldn't have drawn any attention to herself, and she'd be just as dead as everyone else. That'd be better than this, she knew that much.

Danger sighed subconsciously. If she'd died then, she would never have been tortured. The Joker wouldn't have robbed those clothing and jewelry stores. That fox wouldn't be dead. There wouldn't be a Rae Ledger lying to the face of Bruce Wayne. That college couple would still be alive. And so would Megan...

If she'd died then, her parents wouldn't have to worry about her anymore. They wouldn't have to house her, clothe her, feed her. And now, they were probably worried sick about her. If she'd died with everyone else, they wouldn't have to be worried. They'd be sad, but it's better that they know something for sure instead of guessing at her fate, wondering, coming up with millions of thoughts of what sick things the Joker could be doing to her every second of the day.

Danger closed her eyes, feeling tears seep down her face again. She cried silently, her shoulders shaking occasionally, until she fell asleep on the floor of that empty, dusty room.

Danger woke to the sound of the door creaking open. Light flooded the room, then disappeared as the door close. Footsteps came toward her; still, she didn't move. What was the point?

She felt a boot on her shoulder, and it turned her on her back. She stared up into the dark eyes of the Joker.

He stood above her, seeming even taller than usual, staring down at her with a completely emotionless gaze. "Sit up," he commanded.

Danger complied, though it was hard to do so.

The Joker kneeled down beside her, holding her face in his hand. He stared into her eyes for what seemed like forever, never blinking, never looking away. Finally, he asked, in a monotone, "What do you want?"

Danger thought. What did he mean? He was the one who came here in the first place; shouldn't she be asked that question?

But then again, what if he meant it the way it was said? What did she want?

She didn't know what she wanted. She wanted to get out of here. She wanted Megan to be alive. She wanted to be back in second bell at school. She wanted none of this to have even happened.

But she knew that wasn't possible.

Then suddenly, she knew exactly what she wanted.

So she answered, in a whisper, "I want to die."


	16. Chapter 15

How the Joker Fell in Love part 15

The room was silent. Not a sound, except for the occasional horn outside, or the footsteps of the Joker's buddies below.

"You want to die?" the Joker asked finally, breaking the silence. "Why?"

"Because I shouldn't be alive," Danger answered, surprising herself. Even more surprising, she kept going, hardly thinking as she spoke. "I should've died with everyone else at school."

"I would've taken you no matter what," the Joker protested shortly.

"But it's my fault the school blew up!"

"I would've blown it up anyway."

"But -"

"I probably would've done that, too."

"Whatever!" Danger exclaimed. "Either way, I want to die. You asked, now you know."

The Joker sighed. "I'm not going to kill you."

Danger clenched her teeth. "Then I'll kill myself," she growled.

"If you kill yourself," the Joker said, "I'll kill your brother."

Danger opened her mouth, then closed it as his words sunk in. "I don't have a brother," she said, but still confused.

"Well, he's really a half-brother, but..." the Joker trailed off. "Let me show you."

He lifted her onto her feet, then practically dragged her down to the black car they stole for the fundraiser.

In no time (with the Joker's crazy driving) they were next to a baseball field, where a Little League game was going on. Parents crowded the stands, cheering on their kids, even though the little game just didn't matter in the long run. It was still kinda cute, watching them play their game.

The Joker pointed to a kid in a red jersey, number 83.

Danger looked at the kid. He was cute. He had black curly hair, like hers, but blue eyes, and he was tanner than she was. They had the same nose, though. He looked so innocent, in his little game and his red baseball cap. Danger didn't want him to ever know what was happening to her. She didn't want him caught up in it.

Watching him, she realized that she'd do anything to protect him.

"So, do I get to kill him?" the Joker asked.

Danger rounded on him, snapping back to attention. "Never," she growled, her face right in front of his.

The Joker smirked at her outburst, then shifted the car in drive. Without looking away from her, he said, "You have a party tomorrow night. You need some rest."

Danger could hardly form the word "no" on her lips before the back of her head collided with the window.

Danger woke up to Harley whistling some song, but it sounded pretty. Danger sat up, rubbing the back of her head.

"Oh, you're up!" Harley exclaimed, surprised.

"Yeah," Danger moaned, still rubbing her head. God, that hurt...

Wait a minute...

Then Danger smiled.

"Somebody looks happy," Harley noticed. "How come? I thought you said you could never be positive."

"I never said that!" Danger protested, still smiling. "I just said I'm usually not the positive type."

Harley sat down next to her on the bed. "So...?" she tried again.

Danger sighed. "I have a little brother," she said, and even she could hear the love in her voice. God, she loved that kid. She didn't even know his name yet, but she already knew that she'd never let anything happen to him.

Just thinking of what would happen if he ever got caught up in all this...

Ugh! It gave her chills.

"You didn't know 'bout that?" Harley asked incredulously.

Danger shook her head no.

"How can you not know 'bout your own brother?!" Harley looked at her like she was retarded.

"He's my _half_-brother," Danger said, like it explained everything. When Harley's expression remained the same, Danger sighed. "My mom's dead, so I guess my dad - he left us when I was just born, so I don't know him - I guess he got remarried and had a kid. And that's my half-brother."

Harley nodded. "Well, sounds like you had a lotta shit goin' on _before_ Mistah J got ya," she concluded.

Danger sighed. "You have no idea," she agreed. "But still, I'd go back to it in a heartbeat if I could get outta this."

Harley nodded, then clapped her hands. "Well, we've got a party to get ready for!"

"Already?" Danger asked, getting up off the bed.

"Yep!" Harley said. "And I hear it's a _party_ party, right?" She smiled as she quoted Danger.

Danger smiled back. "Why, yes," she responded. "Yes, it is!"

By the time they were done, both of them looked absolutely stunning.

Harley was wearing a red and black plaid miniskirt, a black v-neck shirt with a red belt high on her waist, red and black striped leggings and armlets, and black knee-high boots with red laces. She wore her hair down with her cute little black and red jester hat. She had on black eyeliner with bright red eyeshadow, red blush on pale powder, and blood red lipstick.

Danger was wearing the red dress Harley wouldn't let her wear before. It was satin, like the blue one, and clung to her body like it was meant to fit only her. It had a really low v-neck, the fabric just barely covering her up, and the bottom was so short, she was afraid of sitting down. Her shoes were the same shade of red as the dress, the heels three inches high, resembling sandals in the way they hardly covered her feet.

Danger blushed, her face almost as red as the dress, when she saw herself in the mirror. "Um..." she tried, not really thinking of anything to say.

"Well?" Harley asked, looking confident. "What do you think?"

What did she think, huh? Well, first of all, she looked sluttier than that hooker she saw on the side of the street a week ago, but other than _that_... "Well, it's, um..." Danger cringed. "It certainly looks like I'm going to a party." And having sex in a hotel afterwards.

Harley smiled, apparently not catching how uncomfortable Danger was in the getup. "Great! Let's do your makeup!" She dragged Danger into the bathroom.

When she was done, Danger looked a little better. Harley had completely straightened her hair, which was good because it covered up some of the skin the dress was showing too much of. Then she put a cute little red bow on a bobbie pin in her hair, making her look a little more innocent, as she said. She had on black eyeliner, black mascara, and a touch of red eyeshadow, not nearly as noticeable as Harley had on. White powder and pink blush completed the look, and she looked perfect.

"Wow," she said, looking in the mirror once more.

"Hm?" Harley asked, looking smug. "What was that?"

Danger laughed. "It looks amazing, Harley. Oh, I look perfect!"

Harley laughed and gave Danger a huge hug. She looked at her watch. "Oh, shit!" she exclaimed, grabbing a black and red hoodie from the closet. "We gotta go!" She grabbed Danger's wrist and dragged her out of the room, tossing her a black jacket.

They made it to the sleek black car they'd used for the fundraiser in two minutes. The Joker stood in front of the driver door, waiting.

Danger didn't miss the way his eyebrows lifted in surprise when he saw her. The corner of his mouth twitched up in a smirk, and she glared at him. "Don't get any ideas," she muttered when she passed him.

He just chuckled and answered, "Of course not. That's for Mr. Wayne to do."

Danger threw him the worst look she'd ever given anyone in her lifetime.

He laughed out loud and climbed into the driver's seat.

Danger was about to take shotgun, but thought better of it. She sat in the back with Harley, happy when the Joker didn't object. She could see it in his eyes, though, and she swallowed.

She'd have hell to pay for when she got back.


	17. Chapter 16

How the Joker Fell in Love Part 16

They got to the mansion in no time flat, and Danger was grateful that she heard loud music playing inside. She hadn't been too sure what Bruce would see as a party party, but he didn't disappoint.

She'd almost thought she'd underdressed. Thank god she was wrong.

The Joker drove slowly away, and once he was out of sight, Danger heard his wheels squeek, and he was off speeding down the highway.

She sighed. Great. If she could turn the Joker's head, _everyone_ would be staring at her.

She and Harley walked down into the big ballroom, and their eardrums were immediately assualted by Like a Boy by Ciara.

Danger smiled when she heard the song. God, it was perfect. She wished she could give the Joker a dose of _his_ own medicine...

Just as she'd expected, almost every head turned when she and Harley walked down the steps. The crowd was mostly twenty to thirty year olds, men and women, and the occasional college student. Seeing them, it reminded her of the college couple that had been murdered right in front of her...

She blinked trying to clear her head. She couldn't be remembering things like that. She was Rae here, not Danger. Here, there was no Joker.

Her heart lifted as she heard her own thoughts. There was no Joker here. She wasn't held captive by the Joker when she was Rae. When she was Rae, should do whatever she wanted!

The freedom assailed her, and she felt like she could fly. She glided down the steps, her face glowing, her smile radiant.

Even more heads turned, and she smiled wider.

When she got to the bottom of the steps, Harley went on her way, to the left. She automatically found a group of girls to hang out with.

Danger shook her head. Of course people would love Harley; it's impossible not to. She just so sweet. Danger smiled. Harley was like her big sister. Or, more like her little sister, in a way. She was so innocent and naive; she had to be taken care of.

She'd be the one to take care of her. She'd make sure of it.

Danger looked around, and wasn't surprised to see Bruce do a double-take when he saw her. She blushed as he looked her over, and his eyes lit up as he met hers.

He left his little group and walked over to her.

Danger took in what he was wearing. He looked really casual, which kind of surprised her. She'd never really seen him in anything but a suit. Now, he was wearing jeans and a black shirt with a white tie print on it, a little joke of being formal.

"Glad to see you're still wearing a tie," she joked when he stood in front of her.

"I always try to look my best." Bruce smiled. "I hate to say it, but you might be a little overdressed for this occasion," he said, looking over her dress again.

Danger raised an eyebrow, and drew her jacket together around her. "Bruce, you pervert!"

"What?" he asked, laughing.

"I know what you're thinking." Danger narrowed her eyes at him. With her ridiculously high heels, she was pretty much at eye level with him.

"Oh really?" he asked, leaning back, his elbows on the stair railing. "What's that?"

Danger lifted her chin. "You were gonna say some pick-up line, like 'I can fix that' or 'I've got a change of clothes in my room' or something." She leaned forward, getting in his face. "I know how you rich men work."

"Do you?" he said, pretending to be disinterested. However, he leaned forward as well, as if challenging her.

"Yes, I do," she said smugly, accepting his challenge. She rocked back on her heels, being careful not to fall backward on account of the tiny heel.

Bruce raised an eyebrow. "You're wrong," he disagreed. "You might now rich men well, but you must not know me."

"Oh really?" Danger said, this time challenging him. "Well, go ahead! Prove me wrong."

He leaned forward, so he was practically whispering in her ear. "I was actually going to say 'you should come with me, and I'll help you get a little more _un_der_dressed_.'"

Danger swallowed a chill ran down her spine. Wow. She was being hit on by a thirty something gorgeous man. Not many teenagers can say that, now can they? Except for Miley Cyrus, but she's a whore; nobody cares.

Bruce leaned back, a triumphant look on his face.

Danger couldn't think of anything to say to that. She just stood there, feeling dumb. Finally, she just went with whatever popped into her head first. "Do you wanna dance?" she asked stupidly.

Bruce chuckled. "Alright," he answered nonchalantly, then walked with her into the crowd.

People seemed to part for him (which she guessed he was used to), and in no time, they were in the middle of the dance floor.

Bruce took her hand and wrapped an arm around her waist, and it registered in Danger's mind what song was playing. It sounded like a different language, but she couldn't think of what it was...

Then, she realized it was Japanese. She knew she'd heard it before; it sounded like the kind of upbeat Japanese song you hear on the opening theme of an anime show.

The chorus came up, and she remembered the song. She used to listen to it when she was going through her anime phase. It was Mizerable by Gackt.

In no time, she had the beat down, and with Bruce leading her, she was making no mistakes in her footwork. Their dance reminded her of some sort of samba or something really fun and upbeat, perfect for the song. More than once, Danger found herself laughing out loud.

With one long, incredible spin, the violin ended the song, and Bruce pulled Danger back to him.

He put his arm around her waist to steady her as she practically crashed into him.

Danger looked up and giggled, embarressed. "Woops," she apologized, straightening herself up.

U + Ur Hand by Pink blared through the room, and Danger whooped with the rest of the crowd. She loved Pink; she was such a bitch!

This time for the dancing, you could say that Danger was leading Bruce.

She wasn't sure how long they danced for before they found their way out of the crowd and headed over to the balcony.

Danger exhaled a huge breath, leaning back, her elbows resting on the marble banister. "God, dancing is a workout," she sighed.

Bruce nodded, handing her a glass of champagne. He leaned back next to her, taking a big sip of his wine.

Danger sipped her champagne, letting her mind wander.

God, she'd have to go back to the Joker after this. Just thinking about how he'd looked at her earlier, like she was something to eat... Ugh, it made her nausious(sp?) just imagining what he'd do to her when she got back. He probably wouldn't even kiss her or anything, he'd probably just find out some weird way to torture her again. It would probably be the same thing in _his_ mind.

But then again... Maybe she wouldn't have to find out what he'd do to her.

That's it! She never thought about it before! Why not just tell Bruce about the Joker? I mean, he'd take her away, back home, and she'd be under protection, and she'd never have to deal with that crazy bastard again! Sure, she'd have to give up Rae, and Bruce, but she could live with that! At least this way, she had a _chance_ of living.

Danger opened her mouth, then saw Harley laughing with her new friends. Danger shut her mouth, then pursed her lips together.

Harley... If she left, then Harley would be left to be with the Joker. Knowing the Joker, he'd be really pissed if she left, and Harley would be there to take the brunt of it.

Danger shivered at the thought. She couldn't put Harley through that, she wouldn't. She had to protect her little sister.

She was _not_ gonna run away.

Harley turned to look at her, a smile on her face, one that disappeared as soon as she caught the look in Danger's eyes. A look of fear crossed her face, then she shook her head and whispered, "Don't." As if she knew what she was about to do.

Danger nodded, agreeing. She turned to Bruce. "I've gotta go," she said bluntly.

"What?" Bruce asked, looking at her, confused.

"I've gotta go," she repeated, with more urgency.

"Can I call you?" he asked as she started walking away.

"Sure!" she answered, raising her voice to be heard over the music. "Whenever!"

Harley walked out of the room with her, to the elevator. "You were gonna tell him?!" she exclaimed once the doors shut.

"How did you know?" Danger asked, not answering her question.

"It was written all over your face!" Harley covered her face with her hands. "God, if Mistah J were there, he woulda murdered you right there!"

"Well, he wasn't there, right?" Danger countered. "Besides, it's not like he's gonna find out, _right_?"

Harley nodded. "Right," she agreed. "But still -"

"SH!" Danger cut her off as she opened the door to the outside.

The black car sat, waiting, at the curb, looking even more sinister than usual.

Danger shivered as she felt his eyes on her through the black glass.


	18. Chapter 17

How the Joker Fell in Love Part 17

Danger let out a grunt as she hit the floor. The Joker's foot collided with her ribs, knocking her over onto her back.

"You were gonna tell Wayne on me, huh?" he snarled, grinding his heel into her breastbone.

Danger shook her head and tried to stutter out a response.

"No!" the Joker roared, lifting her up by her hair. "You can't get out of this one, beautiful," he taunted, then threw her into the wall.

Danger fell to the ground, then yelped as she landed on her arm bent backwards. She heard a loud crack, and hoped to god it wasn't broken.

The Joker kicked her in the gut, and Danger coughed up blood. She was just beginning to think it couldn't get much worse than this, when he did something she could never expect.

He bent down and grabbed her by her ankle, heaved her up, then threw her to his other side.

Danger's head slammed into the ground, and she blinked, feeling the world get dizzy and whirly...

"Ah ah ah!" the Joker tsked, then picked her up by her throat. "You're not escaping that way!"

Danger felt her eyes close, his voice getting softer and farther away, even as he yelled in her ear. Dimly, she felt the wall at her back, and she couldn't breathe.

Then, she screamed.

Her eyes snapped open from the shock and the pain. She searched frantically for the source of the pain, and saw that the Joker's knife was stabbed into the palm of her hand.

The Joker laughed hysterically as she tried to pull the knife out, to the point where she became desperate. It was lodged into the wall too deep for her to get out.

She braced her shoulder on the wall, got a good grip on the knife, then pulled with all her might. She felt it coming loose, looser, looser, then - finally!

She let out a bloodcurdling scream as agony wracked through her body. Her hand was gushing blood, and instinctively she ran to find something to stop it, knife still in hand.

The Joker, still laughing, grabbed her bleeding hand, too hard. Danger screamed again as he pulled her to him, then wrapped his arm around her waist to keep her standing.

He took the knife from her and put her bleeding hand on the side of his face, touching his scars. Danger held back a scream as the feeling of a thousand needles assailed her wound, but it still came out as a whimper.

"Remember the first time you touched my scars?" he asked, his voice threateningly gentle. "I remember that look on your face. You looked so... young. And naive." He smiled as he remembered. "I used to think that that was my favorite look of yours." His eyebrows pulled together in a sinister smile. "But now I realize that _this_... this _fear_... _that's_ my favorite look."

He threw her down to the ground, and Danger cringed in pain.

"Then, of course, pain is my second," he added, still smiling. He lifted his foot up, and the last thing Danger saw was the boot coming down in front of her eyes.

(god I hate writing these parts ( they're so boring!!! D)

"You called?"

Gordon turned as he heard the deep voice of Batman behind him. Jesus, that guy always had a way of sneaking up on people.

"Yeah," he answered, turning off the searchlight. He turned back to him. "We need to get this Joker case under control. Danger's parents won't leave us alone, and neither will the press." He sighed. "I'm turning this over to you. You _need_ to find this girl."

Batman just stood there, hardly making eye contact. That's weird, he usually never looks away. He's really creepy like that. But now...

"Batman!" Gordon said suddenly, trying to jolt him back to reality.

It worked. Batman jumped a little, his eyes coming back into focus. "Right," he said, answering what the Commisioner had just said.

"What's wrong with you lately?" Gordon asked boldly. It wasn't usually in his nature to question Batman, but this was pissing him off. He'd been like this for a week or so, and it was getting on his nerves.

Batman shook his head, then seemed to get an idea. "Have you heard of Rae Ledger?"

"Is _that_ what this is about?" Gordon asked, practically disgusted. _Batman_ was getting a girl? He didn't know he had a life...

"Do you know her or not?" Batman asked again, getting annoyed.

"Who doesn't know her?" Gordon asked in response. "She's had Bruce Wayne's attention since his fundraiser a week ago." Then, he stopped, putting the pieces together. "Wait, are you...?"

"I'll find her," Batman said shortly, then jumped off the side of the building.

Gordon ran to the side of the building, and saw Batman unfurl his cape and glide away through the buildings.


	19. Chapter 18

How the Joker Fell in Love Part 18

Danger opened her eyes and felt the nearly familiar sting of alcohal on her cuts. She sat up straight immediately when she realized what was going on.

Harley gasped as the washcloth flew out of her hands and onto the floor. "Oh, now look at that," she mumbled, bending over to get it.

"Don't even bother," Danger snapped, startling her.

"What?" Harley asked, straightening up again. "Why? What's the matter?"

"_You're_ the matter!" Danger yelled, glaring at her. "I can't believe you!"

"What are you _talking_ about?" Harley asked, offended.

Danger stood up, stomping her feet on the ground. "The only reason I didn't tell Bruce about _all_ this was because I didn't want you hurt! I knew that if I told Bruce, he'd help me without taking a second glance at you! You'd be left here, and the Joker probably would've done even worse to you than he did to me! But _now_ look!" Danger balled her hands into fists. "You just _had_ to go tell your _Mistah J_ what I _almost_ did!"

Harley tried to object, but Danger kept going, getting angrier with everything she said.

"And why does it even _matter_ as much he makes it look?" she argued. "It's not like I _actually_ told him! It was just a fleeting thought; I decided _against_ it in the end! Shouldn't that count for _something_?!"

"Mistah J doesn't care!" Harley got out. "He never cares! It doesn't matter whether you did or didn't, what matters is you went against him! _Nobody_ goes against Mistah J!"

"Well, then I guess I'm nobody!" Danger countered.

"I guess so!" Harley said, raising her voice, starting to get really angry.

"You'd just _love_ it if I actually _were_ nobody!" Danger said, startling Harley again.

"What the _hell_ are you talking about _now_?!" Harley asked, scornful.

"You think I haven't noticed your little _obession_ about the Joker?!" Danger accused, and Harley gasped.

"_Obsession_?!" Harley practically screamed.

"Yeah, _obsession_!" Danger continued. "You want to be the only thing that matters to him; well _trust_ me, he doesn't work like that!" Danger remembered when the college party, but shook off the thought. "You _know_ I'm competition, and you _hate_ that!"

Harley laughed once without humor, a short, mocking laugh. "_You_?!" she asked, appalled. "_Competition?!_ Haven't you noticed that he's not interested in you, except, _of course_, when he needs someone to _beat up_!!" Harley laughed again. "You're just his_ chew toy_!! He'll get tired of you, then you'll be _dead_ and _out of my hair_!!!"

Danger gasped, her mouth gaping wide. She had no idea that Harley could be so mean! "You _BITCH_!!!!!!!"

"Ouch, that hurts," Harley said sarcastically.

"_Fuck_ you!" Danger snapped, holding her ground. She wasn't gonna let this bitch step all over her! "And besides, when was the last time you _kissed_ him, anyway?"

Ouch. That one struck a nerve.

Harley opened her mouth to retort, but Danger cut her off. "Matter of fact, when was the last time he even talked to you, ya know, besides ordering you around?"

Again, Harley tried to get a word in edgewise, but Danger wouldn't have it. "He's just using you, _dumbass_! Why do you _refuse_ to realize the _obvious_?"

"_BECAUSE I LOVE HIM_!!!!" Harley screeched, practically bursting Danger's eardrums.

There was a long silence while Harley fumed and Danger took in the weight of her sentence.

Finally, Danger spoke. "Well," she sighed, looking at the ground. "I think... you're a crazy psychotic bitch." Danger raised her voice to be heard over Harley scream of outrage. "How can _anyone_, let alone _you_, _love_ that _crazy_ son of a _bitch_?!"

"_HE'S NOT CRAZY_!!!!!" Harley argued, screaming at the top of her lungs. "_DON'T __**EVER**__ CALL HIM __**CRAZY**_!!!!!!!!!" She lundged at Danger and punched her in the face.

Danger stumbled back, holding her nose. "That _hurt_!" she exclaimed in surprise.

Harley smirked in truimph.

Danger clenched her teeth and slapped her across her face.

Harley stumbled back as well, holding her cheek, her eyes wide with shock.

The next few minutes were chaos. They were pulling each other's hair, punching, kicking, screaming, scratching, biting, spitting; they were practically killing each other.

And soon enough, the Joker heard the racket.

"What the hell is going on?" he growled, pushing the door open. It didn't take him long, though, to realize how funny the situation was (then again, everything was funny to him anyway). He laughed when Danger kicked Harley back, then swept her feet under hers to knock her to the ground.

Harley jumped up quickly and pulled Danger's hair, punched her up under the chin, then slammed her foot into her stomach.

The Joker stopped laughing when Danger hit the wall, coughing up blood.

She wiped her mouth and lundged at Harley again.

The Joker knocked Harley out of the way and grabbed Danger's wrists, twisting them behind her back. "Why are you two fighting?" he asked, obviously trying to make his voice sound gentle.

Danger said nothing. She struggled to get out of the Joker's grip.

"Hey!" the Joker warned her, tightening his grip on her wrists until it hurt.

Danger grit her teeth. "Let me go!" she growled. "I wanna kill that little bitch!"

"Not if I kill you first!" Harley yelled, running at her.

The Joker pushed Danger away from him, then picked Harley up and slammed her to the ground.

Danger, taking a chance, ran at Harley, aiming for her throat.

The Joker sighed exasperatedly, then grabbed Danger by the neck. "Calm down," he muttered angrily, dragging her to the bathroom. He opened the door and threw her inside, then slammed the door shut.

Danger ran for the door and tried to open it, but he must've locked it from the outside or something; it wouldn't budge.

She screamed and beat at the door, but her screams were silenced by those of Harley's. Danger stopped kicking the door and pressed her ear against the wood, trying to hear what was happening.

"So," the Joker said, still calm, "why were you two fighting again?"

Harley's breathing was fast and ragged, and her voice was cracking a lot when she answered. "She thought I told you that she was gonna tell Wayne," she responded, sounding like she was crying.

The Joker laughed, his high-pitched, crazy laugh. "_You_?!" he asked incredulously, still laughing.

Harley screamed, and the Joker laughed even harder.

Danger cringed. Harley didn't tell? But then, how did he figure out?

"Aw, Harley," the Joker cooed, "why so serious?"

Danger swallowed, her eyes widening. She knew what was gonna happen next.

"No," Harley whispered, "no, no, no..."

The Joker chuckled softly. "Let's put a smile on that face." He laughed wildly.

Danger heard the soft _shing_ of his switchblade, then Harley screamed.

Danger didn't realize she was crying until she saw the tears falling to the ground, faster than the rain outside.


	20. Chapter 19

How the Joker Fell in Love Part 19

Danger opened her eyes, seeing nothing but black. It was as if all color and light had faded from existence, leaving nothingness in its wake.

"Hello?" she asked no one.

No one answered.

Danger shivered. This blackness was starting to really creep her out. "Hello...?" she asked again, a little quieter. When nobody answered again, she started walking, almost afraid she'd fall through the darkness if she stepped in a wrong place.

She wasn't sure how far she'd gone (she didn't really have any point of reference to judge by) when she saw someone in the distance.

"Hello?" she asked them, a little louder than the other times.

The person didn't acknowledge that they'd heard her. They just stood there, with their back to her.

Danger kept going, walking a little faster. "Hey, you!" she said, louder, trying to get their attention. "Hey! Can you hear me?"

They didn't move, but Danger was starting to be able to see them better.

She was pretty sure it was a guy, from how short their hair was, and he was short, shorter than her at least. A little over four six, she'd say.

"Hello?" she tried again, coming closer. She slowed down a bit, to a regular walk, and started noticing little things about the person.

He had curly hair, and some sort of weird shirt on that was a little too big for him. Some shorts and some sneakers, and a little hat...

It was her little brother!

"Hey!" she exclaimed, smiling. "Hey, kid!" She was really starting to hate the fact that she didn't know his name. She felt less of a big sister just calling him 'kid'.

He flinched a little, then turned slightly, just enough to see her. She still couldn't she his face.

"Hey," Danger greeted him, lifting up her hand in a nervous wave. What if he didn't like her? What if she creeped him out, like she did other kids? Her eyeliner _could_ be off-putting sometimes... "I'm Danger."

He didn't say anything.

Danger furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. She wouldn't expect her brother to be a shy type of person. "Are you okay?" she asked, taking a step forward.

The kid stumbled forward in a quick, thoughtless attempt to get away from her. In the movement, he turned around fully, and Danger gasped, her breath catching in her throat.

His adorable blue eyes were wide with fear, his eyebrows pulled together in worry and pain. His lips were pulled together tight, so the blood pouring down from the cuts on his face didn't get in his mouth. The cuts stretched up from the corners of his mouth to the middle of his cheeks, bleeding like they'd just been scarred onto his cute little face.

And behind him, the Joker walked up, smiling, and put his hand on the little boy's shoulder.

Danger opened her eyes, waking up in a cold sweat. She looked around, confused. She didn't remember coming out of the bathroom, and yet here she was, lying in the bed, blankets tossed here and there from her nightmare.

She felt tears in her eyes as she remembered last night. Harley was dead. And it was all her fault. If she hadn't been so stupid, and so assuming...

How could she even think that Harley would do such a thing to her? She'd never tell on her like that, and let her suffer for a mistake she didn't really make in the long run; she was too nice for that. Harley was always the first to take her side, to defend her, help her, protect her...

Well, now Danger just had herself for that. And it was all her fault.

She felt the tears in her eyes, and tried to swallow the lump in her throat. She stopped herself from sniffling, though, when she was startled by a noise from in front of her.

She leaned forward, resting back on her elbows, trying to find the source of the sound.

Right in front of her, sitting in a wooden chair that she hadn't seen in the room before, was the Joker, knife in hand, carving up a small piece of wood.

Danger furrowed her brow in confusion. She never really thought of the Joker as a wood carving kind of guy.

She sat up slowly, trying not to make a sound. What was he carving? The curiosity was burning in her mind.

The Joker didn't hear her, as far as she knew. He made no movements to suggest that she'd even made a sound.

Danger sighed inwardly in relief. Knowing what had happened last night, she didn't really want to think about what he'd do to her when he realized that she was awake. He was too sadistic to do anything to her while she slept; he loved seeing the looks on her face while she took in his 'jokes'.

For an eternity it seemed like, he sat there, carving his piece of wood. Danger could just barely see an angle of his face, and he looked like he was concentrating really hard on his little project.

Danger stopped herself from making a sound in confusion. She'd never seen such a look on his face. He looked so... serious. She hated how ironic that was, but it was true. She'd seen him angry, sad, pained, happy, but never really _serious_. It was surprising to her, almost frightening, to see such a deep expression on his face.

His eyes were slightly squinted, the corners of his lips turned down in a frown. His eyes were fixed intently on his piece of wood, gradually carving it into that of a girlish figure.

He just sat there for the longest time, finished with his work. He just held it, turning it this way and that, making tiny adjustments where they were needed, sometimes just looking at it just to look. He twirled his knife in his other hand slowly, delicately, as if it were breakable.

Then he stabbed the figure through its heart, hanging it on the wall, making Danger's heart jump up into her throat.

Despite herself, she gasped in surprise.

The Joker turned and saw her, his eyes burning.


	21. Chapter 20

How the Joker Fell in Love Part 20

The Joker stood up quickly and walked over to where Danger sat on the bed.

Danger started shaking despite herself; the look in his eyes frightened her. It looked like he wanted to kill her! She tried to push herself away from him, but it wasn't long before she hit the wall. She went cold the second she felt the cold wood at her back; it was like this place was _trying_ to kill her.

The Joker grabbed her arms and pulled her onto her feet in front of him.

Danger couldn't control her shaking; she was so afraid. And for once, the Joker didn't smile or laugh at her fear. He just had that same serious face on, and it seemed to be even scarier than anything else she'd ever seen him do.

Now, the Joker is known for being unexpected. Danger knew this. But nothing he had ever done could be more unpredictable than what he did next.

He kissed her.

Danger froze, her eyes as wide as basketballs. He was... kissing her? The thought didn't even seem to be able to register in her mind. It didn't sound right. He kissed her. What kind of demented, twisted sentence was _that_?

And yet it seemed to make sense.

The Joker put his arm around her waist, bringing her closer to him, his other hand tangled in her hair, already knotty from tossing and turning all night.

Danger shivered. Why was he always so cold?

He pulled her closer and kissed her harder, an edge coming into his hands, his nails practically digging into her back. It didn't hurt, though; it actually seemed to make it better...

Danger couldn't explain it. All she knew was that her eyes closed slowly, and soon enough, she relaxed and kissed him back. She wasn't sure what came over her then. Half of her, the sensible part at least, was screaming at her to kick him where he didn't want to ever be kicked and run away screaming bloody murder. But another part of her...

It was weird. It wasn't saying anything at all, but that silence seemed to be overpowering the screaming voice of her sensiblities.

And then, like always, the moment was ruined.

The Joker pulled away, and before Danger had time to breathe, he slapped her across the face so hard that she fell to the ground. "You fucking bitch!" he roared.

Danger hit her head on the floorboards, her vision going blurry for a few seconds. When it cleared, she pushed herself up just enough to look him in the eyes.

She expected him to look angry. Furious would be a better word. She expected to see that scary glint in his eyes that made her shake, and that frightening scowl on his lips that made her soul go cold.

But instead, he looked... pained. That was probably the only word to describe it with. It looked like he'd just finished crying his eyes out, and was just starting to get a little mad about it.

It was like the look he had when he was telling her about Pepper; it was breaking her heart just to look at him.

"You fucking bitch," he repeated, covering his eyes with his hand.

"What?" Danger asked, completely confused, not aware that she was speaking out loud. She didn't understand; one minute he was kissing her, then the next he was hitting her and calling her a bitch.

She knew he had problems, but she didn't know he had ridiculous mood swings to go along with them.

"You're just like _her_!" the Joker accused. "You fucking whore! Both of you! Cheaters and liars and fakes!"

"What are you talking about?" Danger asked. Who was _she_? Who was _her_?

"What do you _think_ I'm talking about?" he asked, pinning her with a patronizing glare.

Danger narrowed her eyes in consternation. She waited for the Joker to continue, but when he stayed silent, she realized he was asking a serious question.

Danger thought for a moment. That look he had, such a heartbreakingly sad look... And looking at him, she suddenly knew what he meant.

"Pepper?" she asked.

"_Pepper_!" the Joker roared, confirming her thoughts. He growled her name through his teeth, grinding them together in anger.

Danger jumped at the anger in his voice. She could feel butterflies in her stomach, and she wasn't sure if it was because she was scared or if they were still there from the kiss.

_No_. It was because she was scared. She wouldn't let them be because of the kiss. That kiss meant nothing to her. _Nothing_.

"You're just like that _disgusting whore_!" The Joker grabbed her by the front of the dress she was still wearing. "Who'd you wear _this_ for, huh? _Wayne_?!" He spit the name out and threw her against the wall.

Danger yelped as her head hit the edge of the window frame. She rubbed the back of her head, and her eyes widened, her stomach turning in disgust.

Her head was _bleeding_.

The Joker clenched his teeth together, his lips stretching across them. He looked like a rabid rottweiler(sp?), and the way he looked at her...

It was enough to make her wish she dead.

He grabbed her by her throat and slammed her head into the wall again.

Danger could swear she saw stars.

The Joker let go of her suddenly and walked to the other side of the room. He stopped a good ways away from her, leaning his weight on his left foot. He ran his hand through his hair and sighed.

Danger watched him a long moment, daring to take a few steps forward. "Joker?" she asked quietly, tentatively stepping forward one more time.

"Get out," he whispered, so low that she had to strain herself to hear him.

Danger furrowed her brow. "What?" she asked, puzzled. She was hardly even sure of what he was asking her to do.

"Get out!" the Joker exclaimed, turning around so fast that Danger jumped.

The look in his eyes scared Danger to her core, and he did as he said. She ran to the door, threw it open, and sprinted out of the building, hardly aware that she was crying.


	22. Chapter 21

How the Joker Fell in Love Part 21

The Joker made no move as he heard the front door slam shut. He didn't even flinch, like he knew she would've, had the situation been different.

Not a sound could be heard from outside. There weren't any cars on the street, no kids screaming and playing games, no lawns being mowed or leaves being raked or doors being opened or closed. It was the kind of typical thing you'd hear after someone slams a door. There may be other things going on, but nothing could ever have the same impact on a person as someone slamming a door.

Then again, the Joker had seen much worse things in his life than people slamming doors.

He'd seen his mother murdered by his father, his sister jump off a skyscraper, his wife leave him for a casino owner, and his nephew hit by a truck chasing after his cat. He witnessed death after death after death after death, and now it didn't even seem that terrible. He got used to it, so to speak.

And he'd killed! Man, he'd killed. He could remember a time when he thought _watching_ death was fun, but doing it _yourself_? Incredible! The feeling of absolute power was unprecidented. It was like being God practically; _you_ decide who lives or dies, not that bastard up in the skies!

And yet, after all the death and murder he'd seen, he was still impacted by the slam of a door.

He realized he wasn't breathing, and took a deep breath.

That's when he got mad.

_That bitch!_ he thought, screaming the words in his head. _She's just like that whore, Pepper._ He clenched his teeth, shutting his eyes tightly. He leaned forward until his head rested on the wall. _Pepper..._

He could still remember the first time he saw her. It was the start of senior year, at the picnic before the Homecoming dance.

Everyone was already dressed up, but the guys didn't really try too much. They just put on a dress shirt, maybe a tie, some nice pants, and shiny leather shoes. The Joker did just the same; he wore a blood red shirt, black pants, and black dress shoes.

He stood leaning against the fence of the park, glancing around when he got sick of watching clouds. Most of the people bored him; sluts with their short dresses, and manwhores eyeing them disgustingly.

The Joker scoffed, looking away. None of his few friends had gone to Homecoming, and now he couldn't blame them. It was boring! He might as well leave; he heard there was a party at James's house, maybe he could still go.

He was about to turn to leave when he saw her.

She had her blonde hair up in a curly ponytail, her makeup matching her sky blue dress; everything about her was like summertime come alive. Her face was lit up with excitement and happiness; it was impossible for him not to notice her.

It was weird; he'd always hated people like her, people who were rich and perfect and had everything they could ever want, while he had to pay for his own apartment, his own food and clothes, and his own tuition at this private school, but there was something about her that was different. So many people at his school were obnoxious and boring, and obsessed with spending their parents money. But she looked like she could actually think for herself, like she wasn't nearly as judgemental as some of the people she hung out with.

That was one of the dumbest things he'd ever thought. She only pretended to be like that; inside, she was just the same. No, she was worse, because she pretended. At least those people _knew_ they acted like snobs.

The Joker sighed and turned around, stomping his way over to the window. That was exactly what Danger was; she was a pretender. She was weak and niave, but she pretended to be able to take care of herself. She was the opposite of Pepper, who _could_ take care of herself, but pretended to be cute and vulnerable.

Danger also pretended to be smart. If she were smart, she wouldn't've gone down to the school office in the first place. He probably would've taken her eventually anyway, but still...

He looked out the window, down to the street. There was some homeless lady sitting on a bench, wiping her eyes, her shoulders shaking slightly. Her knarled hands were balled into fists, as if she were trying to stay strong under all her depression. The Joker let out a humorless laugh. Right, she'd soon find out that that never worked.

He caught sight of Danger walking in the street, and sighed again. Great, now he'd have to get her back. If they found her, she'd tell them everything, and that would be a _big_ setback that he couldn't afford. Might as well tie up any loose ends.

He could go out right now, and pretend that he wanted her back. She was human, had feelings, surely he could manipulate those with another scars story or a sad face. It would be easy; just thinking about the look of pity on her face...

No, nevermind. He didn't want anyone's pity, even if she was just gonna die anyway. Something else...

Most likely, she'd go back to her parents. He could find them, and then when she got back to the house, they wouldn't be there. She'd know it was him, and then her little rightous streak would come into play, and she'd come back, thinking she could rescue her parents. He'd torture them to death, so that when she came, she be so scarred from the sight of them that she'd beg for death.

No, wait. He didn't want to kill her if she wanted it; that wouldn't be any fun.

He needed to get her mad at him. Maybe she'd put up a fight if he got her mad enough. But she didn't have any friends to threaten her with; no one he could steal to get her pissed off enough.

Then it hit him. Maybe he didn't have to _steal_ anyone. Maybe mentioning them was enough.

Perfect! He'd go out there, talk about Harley a bit, she'd get pissied off, fight with him, then he'd kill her! And the only witness would be that homeless lady, but she'd be taken care of quickly enough. And it would be fun, too; she'd try to get him to stop, and when she realized it was hopeless, she'd beg or something. He smiled as he thought about it.

He'd laugh in her face, and drag it out for as long as he could. Or maybe he'd lie to her and say that if she came back, he'd let her live. Then, once she was inside, he could have even more fun!

The Joker laughed out loud. Finally! He'd killed Pepper, and now he could kill Danger! God, if he kept this up, soon the world'll be cured of _all_ its fakes and pretenders!

A better world... He laughed again. Right, _that's_ what he was aiming for.

He returned his attention to Danger, waiting to see what she'd do. If she came back on her own, which he doubted, it would make it even easier. But less fun, of course. He hoped she'd try to run away; give him the thrill of the chase.

She just paced for a while, occasionally, looking around the road, probably making sure there weren't any cars heading for her. Finally, she stopped, moving her mouth quickly, talking to herself? Most likely.

Eventually, though, she caught sight of the old lady, wringing her hands in desperation. Danger walked up to her and started talking to her.

The old lady looked at her in bewilderment, but answered her nonetheless.

They had a short conversation, then Danger flipped her hair away from the back of her neck. She took off the ruby and diamond necklace he'd stolen for her, then carefully handed it to the old lady, saying something as she gave it away.

The Joker narrowed his eyes. What was she _doing_? And why in the first place did she even _talk_ to the old hag? He shook his head slightly. She confused him.

The old lady took it, holding it like it was a tear of an angel, her eyes wide, full of tears. She smiled hugely and spoke quickly, probably thanking Danger for her gift.

Danger smiled back, nodding her head and speaking back.

The old lady started taking off her coat, but Danger interrupted her and started shaking her head. The homeless woman was probably offering her something in exchange, but Danger wouldn't have it.

Danger spoke some more, shook the old lady's hand, then turned and walked back to the apartment.

The Joker furrowed his brow. _What_?! She was coming back _on her own_?

He took a few steps away from the window. She gave an old hag something incredibly valuable without hesitation, then returned to a mass murderer's house when she had a perfectly good chance to escape. Either she was completely insane, or... No, there was no 'either'. She _was_ completely insane.

He sat on the edge of the bed, his thoughts traveling a thousand miles an hour. But in the back of his mind, he was starting to think...

Maybe she wasn't as bad as Pepper after all.


	23. Chapter 22

How the Joker Fell in Love Part 22

Aaliyah Moore sat atop her roof, opening her sketchbook. She loved to sit up on her roof and draw. There were so many scenes, people, animals, trees, things to draw, and she wanted to capture them all onto her paper.

Normally, she was afraid of heights. She'd always find herself clinging to whatever she could when she was too high up, and she was very thankfu for having a one-story ranch. The roof wasn't very high up from the ground, but still had a great view, which is just what she wanted.

She rummaged through her pencil bag and found a thin mechanical pencil with a great eraser, then zipped the bag closed. She didn't want any of her supplies rolling down the roof into the gutter. No, each of her supplies had their purpose, and she couldn't afford to lose any of them.

She sat down and moved everything until she was comfortable, then looked around for her subject.

It didn't take long for her to spot something.

There was a homeless lady sitting on a bench not to far away, in front of the creepy old apartment building no one ever used anymore. She was obviously distressed, but of course she was. Is Aaliyah didn't have a home, she'd be pretty messed up, too.

She felt for the poor lady, but the moment was too perfect not to keep. It perfectly demonstrated how the world was these days; maybe she could send it in to one of those canned food drives or other charities. They might give her a little pay for her help and efforts, but that's not what mattered to her. She just wanted to help those poor people who deserved more.

But the second she put her pencil to the paper, a girl ran out of the apartment building, looking very distraught and scared.

Aaliyah narrowed her eyes. She'd never seen _anyone_ in that building for six years, except for the occasional hobo who was able to break in for a few nights at a time.

That building had always creeped her out; some night's she'd hear screaming coming from it. She'd tell her parents, but they always brushed it off, saying she had a bad dream. But it was happening a lot more lately, and they were starting to get annoyed with her. They were almost thinking of taking her into counseling since she was having these ridiculous 'bad dreams' all the time.

And this girl looked really modern, too. Not like some teenage runaway like she'd expect. She was wearing a very... well, skanky red dress, with a ruby and diamond necklace to detract a little from the crazy low neckline of the dress, and her hair was completely straightened, but pretty messed up, still. Her makeup was done nicely, but it was smeared noticeably from tears. She had a little bruise on her cheek from where it looked like someone slapped her. She had on insanely high red sandal heels, and she didn't understand how someone coudl walk in those, let alone pace, as the girl was doing now.

But other than all that, she had a beautiful face. It was like one of those celebrity faces that everyone wanted to have, but it was better than that still.

Before she knew it, Aaliyah was drawing her, sketching her face.

She had a soft face that made her look a little childish, and pink cheeks showing brightly from under her extremely pale skin. Her eyes were big, but sloped downward a little, bringing in some intelligence and strength. Her lips were not too big, but not too small, and they were stretched into a line at the moment, while her eyebrows were drawn together. She looked really stressed out, and frightened, too.

But what would she be afraid of?

Aaliyah watched as the girl gave the homeless lady her expensive looking necklace, but refused to take her coat. She smiled at the lady, then went back inside the apartment.

Aaliyah was confused, but didn't have enough time to think. Her mom sent her a text to come back inside, and she packed up her things, carefully closing her sketchbook on the drawing of the girl's face.

Danger closed the door slowly behind her. Why was she coming back? The Joker told her to leave, but knowing him, he'd probably change his mind and steal her again. Might as well beat him to the punch, right?

She walked up the stairs slowly, hoping he wasn't gonna get mad at her for coming back.

She didn't want her 'parents' hurt either. He'd probably go after them if she left, since he had nobody else to target. It's not like she had any friends or exes to go after or threaten.

She tried to think of how he'd react when she walked through the door into the room. He'd probably beat her up again, or maybe there'd be another knife involved this time. Or maybe he'd keep up with his threat from before. Maybe this time, he'd be more original and use a screwdriver or a holepunch.

Danger shuddered just thinking about it. Now she was wishing she'd just run away when she had the chance.

She reached the door, and let out a heavy sigh. She had to do this. If she ran away now, it would be even worse. Okay. Now.

She turned the doorknob, pushing the door open slowly. She tentatively took a step into the room, then shut the door behind her.

The Joker sat on the edge of the bed, hunching his back, looking at the floor. His arms rested on his legs, his hands hanging limply off his knees. His eyebrows were pulled together, and he looked like he was in deep thought.

Danger didn't think she should say anything, but stopped herself too late. "Joker?" she asked quietly, more nervous than she'd ever been before.

She saw the acknowledgement in his eyes, but other than that, he acted as though he hadn't heard her.

"You came back," he said quietly. It wasn't a question, but Danger answered anyway.

"Yeah," she replied shortly.

The Joker let out a little laugh, but had a straight face. "Saves me the trouble of going after you." He stood up, his eyes locking on hers.

Danger felt her heart pounding out of her chest as he walked over to her, but held her ground. He'd just get mad at her if she moved away from him, and she didn't want to be hit anymore. More than likely, though, he was going to kill her now, but still...

He stopped right in front of her, so close that Danger couldn't move forward even a little without touching him. He stayed like that for the longest time, just staring into her eyes.

Finally, he spoke. "We're going to a club tonight," he said monotonously. "Get ready."

Then, he left.

Danger stood there for a while, stunned. That look in his eyes... It was so weird. It was the same look he had before he kissed her. And she would've bet that he'd do it again, had he stayed there for any longer.

Danger shook off her thoughts. She had a party to get ready for.


	24. Chapter 23

How the Joker Fell in Love Part 23

When Danger was done getting herself ready, she looked like she was going to a night club. Good, 'cause that was exactly what they were doing. She knew in the back of her mind that Harley would've done an even better job than her, and the thought made her sad.

She shook her head, closing her eyes tightly. No, she wouldn't let herself think about that. Harley Quinn was probably the greatest friend she'd ever had, and will ever have, but she had to let her go. Harley was dead now, and Danger had no one to look after her now. All the more reason to look out for herself. She couldn't let things like that distract her from staying alive in the mad house.

Danger opened her eyes and looked in the mirror.

She'd never said anything to Harley about it, but she'd never truly known that girl in the mirror whenever she wore those fancy dresses and pretty, flashy jewelry. This girl, staring back at her, this was the girl she knew all too well.

Black eyeliner encircled her eyes, covering her lid on top, with a relatively thick line underneath. Black eyeshadow sparkled above her eyes, coming up in a point, giving the appearance that her eyes didn't slope downward annoying like they did. She applied white powder, making herself as pale as possible without it looking fake, then black mascara until her lashes were nearly 3/4 of an inch long and didn't have any clumps. She put on black lipstick until it was perfect; she'd always hated how it never looked good unless you spent forever on it. She hoped to god that the Joker didn't kiss her again; then she'd have to reapply the fricking lipstick.

She wore a black bra with a translucent black short sleeve shirt on that had a cute little bedazzled silver skull where her heart should be, black pants that were so tight they could be a second skin, and black Converse lace-up boots. Over it all, she wore a black leather full-length trenchcoat.

Her hair was down and completely straightened, and she put in a black clip to pull up a little bit of hair on the left side of her face. Her bangs fell over her right eye a little, just enough that you could still see the eye.

Satisfied, and feeling like herself for the first time in ages, she turned around, only to find the Joker leaning against the doorframe.

He smirked when he saw the surprise on her face. "Well, aren't you a vision?" he said slowly, taking her in.

Danger felt herself blush, and hated that he could do that to her. She didn't really even look that slutty - well wait a sec, yeah she did, but not nearly as bad as the time with the red dress! - and he was looking at her with that hungry look he had last time. Like he was a starving man and she was shrimp scampi.

The Joker chuckled, smiling wider at the color of her cheeks. "You know," he started, walking toward her slowly, "you'd look just like Harley if you wore some red with that."

Danger felt her face heat up even more, but this time it was with pure fury. That bastard had no right to even _say_ her name with everything he'd done to her! She clenched her teeth, trying to bite back all the insults that threatened to break free. If she uttered even the edge of a word, she knew that he wouldn't hesitate to hit her again.

He put a finger under her chin and lifted her face, making her look him in the eyes. "You'd just _love_ to hit me right now, wouldn't you?" he taunted, raising an eyebrow. He was challenging her, seeing if she could keep quiet when she was mad. He was trying to make her say something stupid.

"I know how you work," she said, trying to keep her voice level. Despite her efforts, it shook with anger.

The Joker smiled, then raised both eyebrows in expectation.

Danger continued. "You just mess with people's minds and let them destroy themselves." From the look in his eyes, she knew she was right. She leaned forward until her lips brushed his, taunting _him_ now. "It's not gonna work on me," she whispered, smirking.

A darker look came into his eyes, and his smile faltered a little. She wasn't sure if it was because she refused to give in to him, or because of how close they were.

She doubted it was because of the lack of space, but just in case, she leaned away from him, however never breaking eye contact.

The Joker stared at her with that intense gaze for a few seconds longer, as if thinking, but in no time regained his composure. "We're going," he announced, then turned and walked out of the room, no doubt expecting her to follow.

Danger did as she was supposed to. She sure as hell wasn't gonna stay there dressed as she was with about eight other guys in the basement. She'd rather take her chances with the Joker at a night club.

Matter of fact, why was he going to night club anyway? He didn't strike her as the partying type. She hid her laughter as she thought of him at a crazy party. Wow, she would _love_ to see him drunk!

The Joker parked the car in front of a building called The Coven. Its music was blaring loud, even outside, and Danger was thankful that it sounded at least somewhat like metal.

They got out of the car and walked up to the entrance, past the giant line of people waiting to get in. The Joker walked straight up to the bouncer, a big hefty black guy with a buzz cut and some pretty crazy facial hair.

"Hey, buddy, you gotta wait like everybody -" the bouncer said.

"I think you can make an exception," the Joker interrupted, keeping his tone falsly civil.

The bouncer looked up and saw their faces for the first time. "Oh, right, sorry sir," he said quickly, unhooking the big black rope.

The Joker nodded to him and walked through, becoming a silhouette the second he stepped inside, due to the ridiculous amount of multicolor lighting.

Danger stepped forward to follow, but the bouncer stopped her.

Danger flushed. God, that guy was scary. "I, um... I-I'm with -" she stuttered.

"She's with me," the Joker said, not even turning around to witness the scene.

The bouncer nodded and let her pass, much to the annoyance of the line of people waiting to get in.

The Joker led Danger through the crowd of people, then stopped by the bar.

Danger raised her eyebrow, thinking she might actually be able to see him drunk.

Instead, he just leaned against the wall next to the bar, observing the scene with obvious disinterest.

Danger walked up to him, close so that he could hear her over the music. Either way, she still had to raise her voice. "Why did you come here if you're just gonna stand there?"

"Have some fun," he said, nodding to the crowd of dancers. He didn't answer her question.

Danger sighed, then leaned against the wall next to him. There was no way she'd be able to have fun when she knew he was watching, even if she really tried.

Just Like You by Three Days Grace came on the speakers, and Danger smiled as the lyrics ran through her head while the guitar played. It was perfect for the Joker.

"I could be mean," she sang along, and the Joker looked at her. She met his gaze evenly. "I could be angry. You know I could be just like you." She was starting to think that the lyrics had a little more meaning than the band thought they did.

"I could be fake," the Joker countered, but he wasn't singing; he was just speaking. "I could be stupid. You know I could be just like you."

Wow, she didn't know he knew this song. But that little bastard just insulted her! She'd show him.

The chorus played, meanwhile the two of them recited the lyrics to the other, getting angrier and angrier with every word they said.

"I could be _cold_," Danger sang. "I could be _ruthless_. You know I could be just like _you_."

"I could be _weak_," the Joker spat, glaring. "I could be _senseless_. You know I could be just like _you_."

The chorus came again, and by this time both of them were growling the words through their teeth. Danger never realized how angry a song could make her.

"On my own," Danger sang, "'cause I can't take living with _you_."

"I'm alone," the Joker retorted, "so I won't turn out like you want me to."

The Joker glanced away for a split second, and Danger followed his eyes.

A really pretty blond girl with beckoning him over with her finger, dancing like a complete whore.

The Joker smirked and walked over, leaving Danger to sing the end of the song by herself.

"I could be mean. I could be angry," she sang through her teeth as she saw them dance together. "You know I could be just like _you_."

God, that girl was a complete slut. Dancing with him like that? Ugh, it was disgusting! That little bitch shouldn't have taken him away like that...

Danger shook her head in disbelief. Was she getting _jealous_? No, of course not! Why would she be _jealous_? Okay, so the girl was dancing with the Joker. Fine! Know what, she didn't even _care_ about that! She wasn't _jealous_, she was just mad that that stupid skank had disrupted their conversation.

She was _not jealous_.

After watching them for half a song, she sighed angrily and stomped over to the bar, going to the front of the line, ignoring the shouts and glares she got from everyone there. "The hardest thing you got," she growled, letting her fists fall on the table.

The bartender raised his eyebrows in surprise, but complied. In a matter of time, he slid something down her way.

Danger looked at the blackish red substance in the glass and stirred it around. "What is it?" she asked.

"You don't wanna know," he answered. "Trust me."

Danger shrugged and took a drink, feeling it burn her throat. At the moment, she didn't care. She gave the bartender a twenty, not even asking the price. It was the Joker's money; it's not like it mattered. She'd happily go spend every penny he had if it would piss him off right then.

She swiveled in her stool, getting a good look at the Joker and his blond whore. She glared daggers at them, and chugged down her unnamed drink.


	25. Chapter 24

How the Joker Fell in Love Part 24

Danger literally growled in her throat as she saw the Joker and his blond whore coming over to her. She caught his eyes, and he smirked when he saw how pissed she was.

Danger took another drink and slammed it on the table when they sat down. She swallowed the fire in her throat from the alcohal, then turned to them. "Having fun out there?" she asked, blinking. God, why was everything getting blurry? Ugh, just another thing she needed to piss her off.

It was the blond whore who answered. "Yeah, we were," she replied matter-of-factly.

"Who the fuck are you?" Danger asked, pointing to her. She took another drink.

"Jodi," she answered condescendingly. "And... you?"

"Danger. So your name's Jodi, huh? God, you look like a whore." Danger laughed, leaning back on two of the stool's legs.

Jodi jumped up, her hands curled into fists, but the Joker made her sit back down. "Girls, girls," he chided, "be nice. You're gonna be seeing a lot of each other now, so make the best of it."

Danger nearly choked on her alcohalic drink which still had yet to be named. "What?!" she exclaimed, standing up. She almost tripped on one of the stool's legs, and wondered how it got there. "You can't be _fucking_ serious - You gotta _shitting_ me!"

The Joker smiled at her slurred speech and random fit of cussing, and shook his head.

"That _skank-ass bitch-whore slut_ is gonna be _fucking_ around in _our house_?!" Danger asked, yelling now.

"What are you calling me?!" Jodi stood up as well, getting up in Danger's face.

"Stay outta this!" Danger grabbed her by her hair and threw her against the bar table, making her trip over two stools on her way to the floor.

Danger walked up to the Joker. "You _can't_ be _serious_!"

The Joker shrugged. "'Fraid I am, sweetheart! But don't worry; it won't come between _us_," he added with a sneer.

Danger's mouth gaped open wide. "I know what you're doing! You're just doing this to _piss me off_!!"

"And I can see that it's working," he responded, gesturing to Jodi on the floor.

"_FUCK YOU_!!!!!!!" Danger screamed at him, then pushed past the bouncers that had come over to throw her out. "I _know_ they way out, you _fucking_ piss-offs!" She took one last chug of her nameless drink, then threw the glass at Jodi's head, just missing by half a foot. She nearly tripped about thirty times on her way out, but finally made it to the door, then to the car.

The Joker and Jodi came out not long after, and they all drove back to the apartment. Of course, Jodi shat shotgun up with the Joker, while Danger glared daggers at her from the backseat.

In no time flat, they were back. Danger slammed her door shut and stomped all the way up to her room. The first thing she headed for was the bathroom.

She looked around for a medicine cabinet, but didn't see anything. She looked in all the drawers, and finally she found some Ibuprofen and Nyquil.

"Finally!" she said to herself and uncapped the ibuprofen. She got about six pills, shoved them all into her mouth, then chugged it down with the Nyquil.

She stumbled out of the bathroom, holding onto doorframes and using the walls for support, and made it over to the bed. The second she reached it, she fell onto it, and was passed out cold before her head hit the pillow.

Danger opened her eyes, then groaned and squeezed them shut tightly, pulling the covers over her head. God, the light hurt...

"_**HEY GET UP!!!!!**_"

Danger yelled wordlessly in response and fell out of bed in surprise. "Don't yell so loud," she mumbled. She would've screamed back, but she didn't have the energy. God, she had a headache... "And turn the lights off; it hurts..." She covered her eyes with her hand, peeking through her fingers to see who was shouting.

Of course, it was that blond bitch Jodi.

"Ugh, what do _you_ want?" Danger asked, covering her eyes completely. She leaned against the wall for support; her knees felt like they'd give at any second.

"_**JOKER WANTS YOU!!!!!!!!**_" Jodi answered, taking care to speak louder than normal, so that way it sounded like she was screaming right in Danger's ear.

"GOD _FUCKING_ DAMMIT!!" Danger yelled, covering her ears. She groaned, then shut her eyes from the light. "Don't talk so loud, you fucking bitch! My God!"

Danger opened her eyes just wide enough to see where she was going, but saw Jodi smirking in her peripherals. "Whore!" she spat, then shut the door behind herself.

Danger started walking down the hallway, glad to see that it was much darker in there. She could open her eyes fully without feeling too much pain in her head, and that was already helping things.

She couldn't believe she had a hangover.

Come to think of it, even though she wasn't really just thinking about it, she didn't know where the Joker was.

Wow she'd never had a hangover before.

Where was he?

Hangovers suck!

Where the _fuck_ was he?!

Wow hangovers must make you have really random, contradicting thoughts.

Danger shook her head, trying to clear it, but only suceeded in making her brain rattle so hard she could feel it hit the sides of her skull. Ugh, today was _not_ gonna be a good day.

Wow, surprise surprise there!

Finally, after searching through the hallway, Danger found the Joker's room. Or at least the room where the Joker was then; he didn't really have his own designated room, did he?

Danger opened the door slowly, sober enough to know that she didn't want to do anything to make him angry. She already hurt her chances enough last night... What exactly did she _do_ last night?

The Joker glanced up at her, then returned his gaze to the TV, the only light in the dark room. "Come on in," he said, his voice emotionless.

Danger swallowed. She was in trouble.

She took her steps slowly, trying to find things to occupy her mind with, make it look like she was distracted to make more time. She couldn't take her eyes away from him, though.

The Joker sat on a twin size bed, his left leg hanging off the end, his right leg bent with his foot resting on the edge of the bed. He leaned back on his left hand, his right elbow resting on his knee. His painted face was illuminated by the ever-blinking light of the television, and he didn't really show any emotion. He had his coat thrown across the bed, along with his purple leather gloves, now only wearing his light blue pinstriped button-down shirt, green vest that was a little frayed at the bottom, his purple straight leg pants, and his dirty black shoes. His green hair was messed up, and the black makeup around his eyes was smudged and smeared.

Danger found herself blushing, then tried to hide it by fixing her hair. Why was she blushing? She snuck another look at him.

He looked kinda... rugged, I guess you could say. He looked like a tired lion; relaxed, but powerful at the same time.

It was actually kinda sexy.

Danger almost shook her head again, but remembered the last time she did that not too long ago, and thought better of it. The Joker? _Sexy_? Not possible. It was just the hangover talking, that's all.

He looked at her again and gestured for her to come closer, with an expectant look that made her feel like an idiot.

Danger walked over to him quickly, and he put his hand on the spot next her, telling her wordlessly to sit there.

Danger complied, then sat rigid when she felt his arm around her waist. She felt her face flush, and waited for him to make some move or throw her somewhere, just some kind of consequence.

He just sat there. Finally, after a commercial about Aussie shampoo, the news came on. Some corny looking anchorwoman sat at a nice looking desk, with cute little piles of papers that were, in all reality, pointless. They never used them; they were just for show.

The Joker pointed lazily to the screen with the arm that was resting on his knee. "Look, beautiful," he said, "you're on the news."

Danger opened her eyes wide as she listened to the report about the 19 year old senior Dangereuse Etoiles St. Richards, who had gotten kidnapped by the Joker a little over two weeks ago. She hadn't realized it had only been two weeks. It seemed like forever, yet the days themselves went by so fast.

She hadn't realized that so many people were worried about her. There were so many search parties going on, a fund for the police search, a fund for her parents, and a bunch of publicity for local charities that had something to do with the situation.

Then, she started thinking. If all this was going on, and she was going around as Rae Ledger, then no doubt they'd find her! Rae was probably getting a bunch of publicity about hanging out with Bruce all the time, and someone would be bound to recognize her face, or her hair, or something like that!

She had no idea how prominantly her hope was standing out on her face until the Joker noticed it.

His eyes narrowed. "What are you thinking about?" he asked.

Danger snapped back to reality. "U-uh, nothing!"

He ignored her. "You think they'll _find_ you?" he guessed, and he knew he was right by her silence. "They're _never_ gonna find you!" He twisted his hand in her hair and brought her face close to his, until Danger couldn't breathe from the way her neck was bent backward. "At least, they're never gonna find you _alive_." He pulled out his switchblade.

Danger gasped and shut her eyes as tightly as she could.

The Joker threw her to the bed, so she landed on her stomach. He pulled her hair into some sort of ponytail and gathered it all in his hand. He pulled her up by her hair, making her yelp in pain. "Say goodbye, beautiful," the Joker warned.

Danger swallowed and felt a tear roll down her cheek. She was gonna die. This was it. She'd be seeing Harley soon, and maybe her mother...

Then, the Joker ran his switchblade through her hair, cutting half of it off.


	26. Chapter 25

How the Joker Fell in Love Part 25

Danger opened her eyes wide as she realized that she was still alive. Relief assailed her, followed soon, however, by anger and humiliation.

He just cut half of her hair off! With a fucking switchblade! It probably looked like shit!

"Not exactly what you expected, hm?" the Joker whispered in her ear. He laughed even before she could react, then pushed her face into the pillows.

He jumped up off of her, and Danger coughed as dust filled her mouth. God, he needed this place cleaned. Why couldn't he have held Snow White hostage? At least then _something_ positive would come out of the situation!

Danger pushed herself to her knees on the bed, then ran her fingers through her hair. Her hands were free way before they should have been had he not cut her hair. It wasn't right! She felt around for the rest of her hair, but all she could find were the split ends of her now above shoulder length locks.

The Joker smiled and dropped his handful of her hair on the floor. He grabbed her arm and yanked her off the bed, pulling her close. "You know, I actually think this is a good look for you," he said, running his fingers through her hair.

Danger put her hands on his chest to push him away, then thought better of it. _Remember, you still have to be nice to him,_ she thought.

The Joker took it the wrong way. He raised his eyebrow and smirked, mischief in his eyes.

Danger cocked her head to the left and smiled, looking up at him through her lashes. "Whatever you're thinking about, Joker," she said, then suddenly put on a straight face, "you can probably do with your new whore."

She took her hands off his chest as if he were made of burning acid and turned on her heel, walking out of the room.

_Okay, maybe you need to be reminded what the word _nice_ means_, she scolded herself, _'cause that definitely wasn't it_. Yeah, calling his new… girlfriend, prostitute, whatever she was… a whore, and saying he could go fuck her if he wanted, and completely rejecting him even before he'd said anything… yeah that definitely was _not_ nice.

Danger sighed, running her hand through her hair in exasperation, leaning against the hallway wall. God, she was gonna go crazy in this place.

Danger "hmphed". She was _not_ gonna let herself go crazy; that's just what he wanted! And she'd never give him what he wanted. If anything, she'd give him exactly what he _didn't_ want.

Now, it was a matter of figuring out what he didn't want.

Danger walked down the hallway, back to her room, happy to find out that her hangover was fading. It was practically almost gone now. _Guess getting your entire look changed unwillingly has a way of sobering you up_, she thought sarcastically.

Jodi took one look at her and cracked up.

"I don't wanna hear it, _Jodi_," Danger said, spitting out her name as if it were poison. She stomped over to the bathroom immediately, checking herself in the mirror.

She actually didn't look that bad. Sure, her hair was really frizzy and messed up _right now_, but she could fix that with a shower and a straightener. It came down to about the middle of her neck, but if she straightened it, it would probably go down to about an inch above her shoulders. That actually wouldn't look that bad.

Danger walked out of the bathroom to find Jodi still chuckling a little. "Got a haircut from the Joker?" she asked. "How much was it? Did he do what you wanted?"

"Wow, you just ooze maturity, don't you?" Danger retorted. "I'm not in the mood for this."

Jodi went quiet for a minute, then started laughing suddenly again.

Danger leaned on her right foot. "What is it now?"

Jodi looked at her like she was an idiot, then kept laughing.

Danger sighed angrily, and started walking back to the bathroom to play around with her new hair. Might as well make the best of it.

"You are _so_ in love with him!"

Danger was in her face in a matter or two seconds. "_**WHAT?!?!?!?!**_" she screamed, never more offended in her entire life. "I am not!" she yelled, trying to calm down. She wasn't gonna give that bitch the satisfaction of seeing her upset (even though she kind of already did).

Jodi raised an eyebrow like "oh really?". "Then what do you _really_ think of him?"

Danger was confused. "What?" What did she really think of him? She was pretty sure she showed that every day; she was terrified of him!

Jodi stood up from the edge of the bed and started walking around Danger. "You know, behind that little good girl façade you always have, acting like you're scared and all."

Danger didn't answer at first. Acting? She didn't act! She really was scared! Was she _not_ scared of him? Is that why she couldn't understand?

"Face it," Jodi said, "you're in love with him."

Danger stepped back and faced her. "I am _not!_ I _hate_ him! He murders innocent people, blows up places that only help people, steals from other places that are filled with people who are only trying to make a living, and he doesn't even care about how many people he hurts! That, or he _likes_ it, which is _completely_ insane!"

Jodi opened her eyes wide in surprise. Why would she be surprised? She was just saying what she already knew. She wasn't like Harley, who'd kill her just for saying anything bad about him. For Jodi, the Joker was just a fling; for Harley, he'd been an obsession, for lack of another word.

"And another thing," Danger continued, "he's a total asshole! I haven't done anything to him, ever, and yet all he ever wants to do it hurt me and make me _bleed_, inside or out! And why does he want me here, anyway? You're here, saying I'm in love with him, but the way he's acting, it seems like…" Danger trailed off, unable to finish her own sentence.

"Like _he's_ in love with _you_?" Jodi finished for her.

Danger stood there for a moment, then shook her head. "No," she said, sounding like a complete hypocrite. "It's not possible. Why would he be in love with me, anyway?"

For a moment, Danger almost thought she'd start going off on some rant about how no man, even someone as twisted as the Joker, could love her. But then, she started thinking, and couldn't stop herself from pouring out word vomit.

"That crazy asshole is _incapable_ of loving _anyone_! That story about him and Pepper is probably another one of those _lies_ that he always tells people right before he kills them! Why didn't he kill me anyway? What's the point?"

"Well, I bet he's gonna kill you now," Jodi said, crossing her arms.

"Why?" Danger asked.

Jodi made a swirling motion with her index finger, telling Danger to turn around.

She turned, and her breath caught in her throat.

The Joker was standing right behind her, his knife still in his hand.


	27. Chapter 26

How the Joker Fell in Love Part 26

Danger's heat was pounding outside of her chest. Her forehead was covered in sweat, her face red as the blood that was soon going to be on the floor. She could feel it. He was going to kill her.

She'd never been so close to death than she had been in this day. And only by _saying_ things. When he'd tied her from the ceiling, it was because she'd been acting like a vain, self-absorbed, 'nothing is ever good enough for me' bitch. At the GU party, and with Megan, it was because she was acting like a whorebag! And then after Bruce's party party, it was because she almost told on him. And again with the whorebag behavior when he accused her of being just like Pepper. And now, Jodi was only there because of Danger being a complete bitch to the Joker when all he'd done was take her to a nightclub!

You know, thinking about it, all his actions were completely justified.

But, you know... in a scary, insane way.

It seemed like hours before the Joker spoke, but finally, he nodded to Jodi. "Get out," he said shortly, his tone low and monotonic.

Jodi walked out of the room wordlessly, throwing a contemptuous glare at Danger as she passed her. She shut the door behind her slowly, obviously anxiously waiting for the fight to start, so she could listen through the door and laugh.

Danger stood where she was, afraid to move. She knew that if she moved away from him, he'd just get angrier, and if she moved toward him... Well, she'd be better off signing her own death warrent.

The Joker stood exactly where he was, just staring at her. He had a blank expression on his face, but she could see the pure hatred in his eyes.

He blinked, and he raised his eyebrows a little trying to look open and casual. It didn't work. "So," he started, taking a step toward her. "I'm crazy, am I?"

Danger quickly worked out an answer. If she said yes, he'd be pissed. But if she said no, she'd be a liar _and_ he'd be pissed. And she was no liar. "Yes," she muttered meekly.

"Ah," the Joker acknowledged, nodding as if he were politely interested. Then, his eyes turned cold and he grabbed the back of her head, slamming her face into the floor.

Danger yelped in pain, almost sure her nose was broken.

The Joker stood up and slammed his foot onto her back, not letting her get up. "And 'incapable of loving anyone', hm?" His voice had an edge to it now, and it gave her a chill.

The Joker stomped on her back once, then stepped away, letting her stand back up.

Danger wiped her nose and found her hand covered in blood. She remembered when such a sight would've made her throw up, but now it seemed almost routine. She wiped her bloody hand on her skirt, then spit blood out of her mouth on the floor.

The Joker stood in front of her, his hand gripped tightly on his knife, as if he'd stab her at ay given moment. But the way his eyebrows were set looked like he expected an answer.

Danger coughed up blood, then spat again. She wiped her mouth and said, more confidently than before, "Yes."

The Joker ground his teeth together, the most angry look she'd ever seen coming over his face. He looked almost demonic; it was scary. He grabbed her by the front of her shirt and threw her against the closest wall. "Hasn't anything I've _ever_ said to you even _registered_ in that _stupid_ mind of yours?" he said, grabbing her by her neck and slamming her head into the wall repeatedly.

Danger finally saw things get blurry, but for once, she didn't want to escape. She wanted to prove him wrong. He thought she was weak and senseless; well, he was wrong and she wanted him to know it.

"What else am I supposed to think when that's all you've given me reason to believe?" she asked, spitting out each word. Her throat was crushed, her words coming out only in whispers.

The Joker stopped and stared at her for a moment, but it felt like an eternity. His face was blank, but his eyes held his soul; that was his only flaw. She could always see just how he really felt. He was surprised and confused, then thoughtful, then... sad?

Now it was Danger's turn to be surprised. Why would he be... _sad_?

It passed quickly. He looked determined, then angry yet again.

Danger shivered. Oh god, _now_ what was he gonna do to her? He looked like he wanted to kill her! And knowing him, he probably would, too! Ugh, _way_ too close to death _way_ too many times in one day.

Then, he smiled.

Danger was confused, but mostly still scared. It was his usual crazy ax-murderer smile, but his eyes looked so dark, and evil. She knew there was no such thing as true good and evil, but he was getting pretty close.

"You have no idea just how lucky you are, do you?" he asked.

Danger furrowed her brows. What?

"You are _so_ lucky I need you," he said, twirling his knife in his other hand. He stared it at in practical fascination, watching the way the lights hit it, while Danger was busy watching the way it threw sharp shadows across his face. "If I didn't, I probably would've killed you by now." He chuckled, then looked back into her eyes. He looked almost cordial, or even casual, except for that dark look in his eyes. "Thankfully, though, I can still do _this_."

His crazy smile returned just an instant before he stabbed his knife halfway through Danger's arm, close to her shoulder.

Danger screamed as he dragged the knife down, carving a line down her arm. Blood was falling to the floor in bucketloads, making her light-headed.

The Joker laughed hysterically. "God, it's been too long!" he roared, cracking up. Suddenly, he got serious, and was right up in her face. "By the way, I was wrong," he said, covering her mouth so she couldn't scream over him, "you're just like Pepper."

Danger was confused. He'd already said that; he never said she _wasn't_ like Pepper. What, did he _think_ she wasn't like Pepper? That was impossible; he could never think anything good about her if he continued to do these things to her.

Her thoughts were interrupted by another scream, muffled by the Joker's hand, as he cut open her other arm. It didn't take long, though, for the blood loss to take its toll, and Danger passed out to the sound of the Joker's laughter.


	28. Chapter 27

How the Joker Fell in Love Part 27

Aaliyah sat in her room, staring at the girl's picture for the thousandth was she? What was she doing in that old apartment building? Nobody's been there for _six years_, then suddenly some rich girl is _living_ there?

She shook her head. It didn't make sense. She looked a lot like that one Rae Ledger girl that Bruce Wayne was fooling around with now. It was weird seeing him practically steady with somebody; usually he just picked up a few whores and had a night's worth of fun, then tossed them back to their street corner.

It was weird seeing him in a stable relationship. It didn't suit him.

"Aaliyah, dinner!"

"Coming!" she yelled back down to her mom. She set the picture down, then thought better of it. She picked it up and took it to the kitchen with her. Maybe she could think better while she was eating. Come to think of it, she _was_ kinda hungry...

Her dad was watching the news, as usual. God, you could never get him away from that tv, unless he was playing around with his chainsaw and woodchipper.

Aaliyah grabbed her plate and walked into the family room. Some corny looking anchorwoman was talking about some girl that was missing. She'd been missing for two whole weeks! Crap, that must suck. _Probably just another teenage runaway_, she thought. Then, she repeated the thought in her head. That sounded so familiar...

Oh! Now she remembered. That's what she first thought of that girl when she saw her! But...

The anchorwoman said something about Dangereuse Etoiles St. Richards, and showed a MySpace picture of her on the screen beside her.

Aaliyah gasped out loud. _IT'S HER!!!_ she thought, screaming in her mind.

"My God, Aaliyah, what is it?" her mom asked her, looking at her with a mixture of concern and annoyance.

"It's the girl!" Aaliyah said, as if her mom should know what she was talking about.

The woman looked just as confused as before, if not more so.

Aaliyah shuffled around and picked up the piece of paper that had her - Danger's - face on it. Danger... She was so happy the girl finally had a name!

She shoved the paper in her mom's face. "It's the girl I saw outside that old apartment," she yelled, thrilled. "I can go give this to the police!"

"Woah now," her dad said, standing up. "What's all this about the cops?"

Aaliyah sighed inwardly as she remembered her dad's fear of the cops. He used to be in a pretty bad gang, and one time he participated in a murder of a drug dealer; he's still afraid of them remembering his face and arresting him.

"I found the girl they're looking for!" she yelled, not giving up. Her dad's fear or not, she couldn't let this go. Who knows what she was going through in there? Stuck with the _Joker_?! I mean, he did look kinda nice that one time when he wasn't wearing his makeup, but _seriously_! And she lasted _two weeks_? That was enough to surprise her.

"No you didn't," her dad protested, ripping the drawing out of her hands and scrutinizing it.

"Yeah, I did!" Aaliyah retorted, determined. "She's stuck with the Joker in that old apartment building! Remember all those times I told you that I've heard screaming coming from there?"

"Those were just bad dreams, honey, remember?" her mom said, laying a hand lightly on her shoulder.

"No, I'm serious!" Aaliyah pulled away from her and facing both of them. "It's her, I _know_ it is! And if I don't do something, she's gonna stay in there with _him_ until he _kills her_! Do you _want_ that to happen?"

"Of _course_ not!" her mom yelled at her.

"It's not her," her dad said, handing her picture back to her.

"_What_?!?!" Aaliyah yelled in disbelief. "How is that _not_ her?!"

"Look at her makeup!" her dad said, pointing. "It's totally different from the girl on the tv's! That _can't_ be her!"

"He's making her change it, dad! If _you _were him, you'd do that, too, wouldn't you?"

"I'm pretty sure I wouldn't be doing anything like this in the first place."

Aaliyah sigh exasperatedly. "You _know_ what I mean! Why can't you see what's staring you in the face?"

"That's enough!" her mom yelled, pinning her with a glare.

"What, just 'cause you don't wanna hear it -"

"_Enough_!" her mom snapped, slamming her fist on the table. "Go upstairs to you room!"

"I'm not some little kid that you can just send -"

"_NOW_!"

Aaliyah let out an exasperated groan and stomped up to her room, slamming the door behind her. She couldn't believe them! They were so blind!

She fell on her bed, rolling to her side. She wiped a tear from the corner of her eye. She hated how stupid she was; she'd always had an annoying and embarressing habit of crying when she got really mad.

She was gonna find a way to tell the police. She had to. She couldn't just let that poor girl keep suffering. And from what she'd looked like those nights ago in the red dress...

Yeah, she _had_ to do something to get her out of there.

Aaliyah turned over on her other side, then caught sight of a car's lights passing by her window. That's it! She'd climb out the window and go to the police station!

But what if her parents caught her?

She shook her head, standing up. She didn't have time to worry about that right now. She had to save Danger. That's all that mattered.

Aaliyah checked to make sure her parents couldn't hear her, then slowly opened her window, trying to be as quiet as she could. She heaved herself through carefully, then fell forward when her foot caught on the ledge, sending her into a pile of dirty leaves.

She stayed down for a minute, leaving the window open, not wanting to be seen in case her parents had heard her. Once she was sure they hadn't moved any closer to her than they'd been before, she stood and closed her window.

She felt a rush of adreniline. She was never the type of girl who would do something like this. Sure, she'd always rebelled against her parents, but not to this extent.

Well, how about this: If it _was_ Danger that she was saving, then they'd be wrong and they couldn't be mad at her about it because she saved someone from torture and certain death!

Thinking positively, that was the key. (lol)

She took one last look back at her house, then took off for the police station.


	29. Chapter 28

How the Joker Fell in Love Part 28

Jodi walked to the room the Joker was in before the fight with Danger. God, she hated that girl. She was so annoying! Such a child. She had no idea of the ways of the world.

She smiled and sat down on the bed. Without her here, that girl would never survive. The Joker would've killed her off by now if she hadn't provided a distraction for him. So, in a way, she was helping that poor girl.

Jodi almost laughed out loud. Helping her! That's a laugh. Yeah, she was _helping_ her.

Jodi shuddered as she heard Danger scream bloody murder. The Joker laughed hysterically, and said, "God, it's been too long!"

Jodi sighed. She can't believe she was still here. Why did she even _dance_ with that creep?

Oh, that's right. Alcohol and club music. The duo that always made her do the stupidest things. Ugh, and no she couldn't get out of this place!

The only thing that really was keeping her here was Danger. She loved to piss her off! She knew that she could be a little sadistic and passive aggressive, but it never really bothered her. If anything, she enjoyed it!

And all she had to do was pretend she was madly in lust with the Joker. Not that hard. He shared her same sadistically passive aggressive personality, and she found his dry sense of humor to be actually kinda funny sometimes.

Even so…

Jodi jumped as the door swung open, slamming against the wall. The Joker sauntered inside, then leaned against the wall, running his fingers through his hair. He laughed softly, as if at his own joke. "That girl…"

"Who, Danger?" Jodi asked, even though it was obvious. Well, it was her job to be stupid; that's what she was usually paid for.

Well, in this case she wasn't getting paid, but she could probably find a few thousand lying around before she left. He did rob banks for a living, after all.

The Joker chuckled and shook his head. "Yes, Jodi, Danger."

Jodi felt a familiar pang when he said her name. She didn't know why, but it kinda bothered her how the Joker gave Danger all these nicknames, like beautiful and darling and precious, and then he'd talk to her and just call her Jodi. She didn't like to feel inferior, ever.

She sighed inwardly. He probably just did that to make Danger feel safer, like he wasn't gonna kill her. Speaking of which…

"How come you haven't killed her yet?" she asked, laying sideways on the bed, propping her head up on her elbow.

"She's just so _fun_!" he exclaimed, tossing his knife up in the air, then catching it. He stuck the blade back in one of his pockets, and rubbed the back of his neck.

"You okay?" she asked, sitting up and moving aside to give him room to sit.

"Hm," was all he said. He sat down on the edge of the bed in front of her, still rubbing his neck.

"Here, let me help," she said, moving forward. Maybe a neck massage would warm him up to her. It did with everyone else. And, after all, he _was_ a man. A psychotic killer, but still a man.

And men were easy to control.

Danger bit her lip as she looked through the open door. Jodi was such a bitch. Why was she doing that? Why would _anybody_ even _want_ to do that? He was a murderer!

She shook her head. She shouldn't try to figure that slut out; it would just give her a headache.

Jodi turned the Joker's head and captured his lips with hers. Her hair fell from her shoulder and covered their faces like a drape.

Danger felt like someone had stabbed twenty knives into her chest and ripped down, carving her up into slices. She ground her teeth together and walked back to her room, trying not to cry.


	30. Chapter 29

How the Joker Fell in Love Part 29

Aaliyah burst through the double doors to the police station, adrenaline rushing through her. She'd run the entire way there from her house, and she didn't even feel tired.

The officer at the front desk opened her mouth to say something, but Aaliyah cut her off.

"_I KNOW WHERE DANGER IS_!!!!!!!!!" she nearly screamed, slamming her hands on the counter.

After a hectic fifteen minutes, Aaliyah was ushered into the interrogation room with Commissioner Gordon. She wasn't sure exactly why they were using the interrogation room - usually this place was reserved for criminals - but she pushed the thought aside. All that mattered was helping Danger.

What was happening to her? She couldn't help but wonder. Did he hurt her? Probably. I mean, he's the Joker. He hurts people. That's how he works. So, most likely, she had a lot of shit going on in her life right now. A lot of pain.

She sighed. Poor Danger. She wouldn't know what to do if she were in her position. Probably sit away in a corner and try not be bad.

That's probably what Danger was doing. Trying not to make him mad. Doing as he said, and trying to be a good girl.

Then again, if Aaliyah were the Joker, she'd be getting pretty bored if someone just did what she said all the time.

Then, she had a terrible thought. What if he'd already killed her? It'd been a while since she'd seen her - two days, was it? No, only one, but still - and he could've made up his mind!

Oh God Danger was dead!

The door opened and Commissioner Gordon stepped through.

Aaliyah stopped herself from yelling "It's all my fault!" She didn't want to look crazy in the middle of a police station.

"So," he started sitting down in the chair opposite her. There was a little white table separting them, and a little white lamp in one of the corners. As it wasn't an interrogation, per say, the lamp was turned off, and the ceiling lights were on, making Aaliyah feel comparably less like a criminal. "You know where Danger is?"

Aaliyah nodded enthusiastically. "But what if she's already dead?" she asked, unable to control her hysteria any longer. "What if I was too late? It's all my fault!"

"Miss Moore, please! I need you to tell me where she is! The sooner we know, the sooner we can help her if she _is_ still alive!" Gordon reached across the table and grabbed her wrists, pinning them down on the table in an effort to calm her down.

Aaliyah took a deep breath and tried to settle her mind.

"Better?" Gordon asked patiently.

Aaliyah took another deep breath, and nodded.

"Okay." He let go of her hands and sat back in his chair, trying to appear very casual, probably trying to calm her down without making it obvious. "So, where did you last see Danger?"

Aaliyah tested herself mentally, then answered, controlling her hysteria as best she could. "She was outside the old apartment building next door to me. That's Harrison Avenue," she clarified. "She walked out, looking really stressed, gave a crazy expensive necklace to some homeless lady, then went back inside."

"When was this?" Gordon asked, subconsciously leaning forward.

Aaliyah swallowed. "Last night," she said. _Don't think,_ she thought. _Don't go crazy. She's fine; it's okay._ She was _not_ gonna let herself worry. The cops would take care of it; Danger would be fine.

She didn't even know this girl and yet she felt like she had to keep her safe. Weird, huh?

Gordon nodded at her. "Thank you, Miss Moore." He stood up to leave.

"Wait!" Aaliyah said, and he turned around. "Can I stay here? I wanna make sure she's okay."

"Do you know her?" Gordon asked, looking puzzled.

"Not... particularly," Aaliyah admitted. "But I just wanna make sure she's safe; there's nothing wrong with _that_, right?"

Gordon hesitated. "No, I suppose not," he said finally. He walked out of the room, gesturing for her to follow. Once outside, he said, "Officer Ramirez can take care of you." He nodded his head to a Latino cop, who smiled at her.

She smiled back. Danger was gonna be fine. They were gonna help her. It was all gonna be okay.

"I need every cop at Westwood Apartments on Harrison Avenue!" Gordon yelled. "We will be dealing with the Joker, so have you gun on you! The priority is getting Danger to safety; the clown can wait!"

Within minutes, the entire police station was empty, except for Aaliyah and Officer Ramirez.

"So," he said, trying to break the silence. "Any favorite card games? We'll be here a while."

Aaliyah thought for a minute. "BS?" she suggested.

He shrugged. "Why not?" he said lightheartedly, and walked off to get the cards.


	31. Chapter 30

How the Joker Fell in Love Part 30

The Joker pushed Jodi away, making her tumble backwards and fall off the bed.

"Hey!" she yelled, standing back up. "What the hell's you problem, freak?"

In less than a second, the Joker was standing right in front of her, making her back up against the wall. "Do I really look like the kind of guy who'd go after a whore like you?" he asked, pinning her with the meanest stare she'd seen him give her ever.

Jodi felt her face get red-hot with embarressment, but figured it was in her best interest not to say anything.

"The only reason _you're_ here," he continued, "is Danger. You better kiss the ground she walks on, 'cause without her, I would've killed you the second you looked at me back at that club."

Jodi swallowed. She knew he was serious, too.

Suddenly, the news theme song blared through the room. She hadn't even realized the tv was on.

_"Dangereuse Etoiles St. Richards, a 19-year-old girl, was captured by the Joker two weeks ago. But now, the Gotham Police Department has been informed from an anonymous source of her whereabouts. They are planning to liberate her immediately. One of our reporters is going to the scene, the Westwood Apartments building on Harrison Avenue, and we will speak with him in a moment."_

Jodi could almost see the anger flood through his mind.

"_DANGER!!!!!!!_" he bellowed, storming out of the room and slamming the door behind him. Jodi ran after him, opening the door and following. She knew if the police got here, they'd probably arrest her for either affiliation with a murderer or prostitution.

Danger sat up slowly as she heard someone call her name. She was laying in her bed - well, more like the bed she liked to call hers - on top of the sheets, still wearing her clothes from the club. Why was she in here again?

Oh yeah. She saw Jodi kiss the Joker and took a bunch of ibuprofen with NyQuil again. What a genius she was, huh?

She jumped and slapped a hand to her forehead as the Joker pushed her door open with enough force to break an elephant's leg, giving her the biggest pain right above her eye. Too much noise... "What do you want?" she asked, not even caring about how mad he looked, or the frightened look on Jodi's face.

Wait, Jodi was scared? Hahaha stupid bitch deserved it. Whatever it was...

"We're leaving," he growled, grabbing her arm and pulling her roughly to her feet.

The movement was too sudden. She tripped over her own feet and fell against him, her chin resting on his chest. She looked up at him and asked, as if nothing were abnormal, "Where are we going?"

There was something weird with his face... Was he wearing blush? He must've been; his cheeks were so red. But how could he put it on so fast? He didn't have it on just a minute ago...

"Are you a magician?" she asked, narrowing her eyes. He sure didn't _look_ like a magician... But maybe he was using his magic to not look like a magician.

Ohmigod the Joker was a wizard!

While Danger dealt with this new revelation, the Joker dragged her to the door. He stopped suddenly when he heard the sirens. _Shit_, he thought. He glanced back at Danger, who was staring at him with wide eyes that were glazed over with drugs. _Great, how am I gonna get her out of here?_

"Open the window," he ordered Jodi, starting to drag Danger over to the other side of the room.

"Woah, so you're just gonna _leave_ me here?" she asked, pinning him with a glare.

He looked at her like she was dumb. "I hope that's not a problem," he said sarcastically.

"You can't just leave me here!"

"Actually, I can," he said. "Now will you hurry up and open the window? I don't have much time and -"

"All you care about is that little _bitch_!" Jodi yelled. "All she's ever done is _piss you off_ and you're gonna save _her_ and give _me_ to the _cops_?!"

"How many times to I need to clarify this to you?" he asked, really getting annoyed. He dropped Danger on her bed and turned to Jodi. "I am taking Danger with me. I am leaving you here. The cops are gonna arrest _you_, and _I_ will get away. Understand now?"

Jodi just stared at him, gaping. "I can't _believe_ you! You _selfish_, _murderous_, _sadistic_ -"

"Oh, now our true colors show, don't they?" The Joker was in front of her in a second, knife already in hand. "You remind me of someone I knew a long time ago. Her name was Pepper Antionette McGarrath. You actually look a lot like her. See, she was the reason I have these scars." He laughed a little, but there was no humor in it. "I remember, I used to really like Pepper. But then I realized that all she ever did was pretend, even to me. Same as you, really. You just pretend, all the time, all your life, and for money! Life's not about money, Jodi. It's about sending a message. What message do you send?"

Jodi opened her mouth to answer, but he stuck his knife between her lips and grabbed the back of her head.

"No, Jodi, the message _you_ send isn't even worth my time. Now, _my_ message, on the other hand, I feel is worth everyone's time. You know what that is?"

He pushed her back against the wall and grabbed her wrists, holding them together with one hand. He pulled her arms above her head and plunged his knife through the palms of her hands, nailing her to the wall. She screamed, but it was drowned out by the sirens. Shit, they were getting closer. He'd have to make this fast.

"My message is this," he whispered in her ear. He pulled out a lighter and started lighting her clothes and hair on fire. "Everything burns."

As she screamed bloody murder, he walked into the bathroom and took out a tub of gasoline from the bottom cupboard. He splashed it all over her and dropped a lighted match at her feet.

Satisfied, he turned around to get Danger. But he was surprised when he saw that she was already standing up, and looking out the window.

Danger sobered as soon as she saw the flashing blue and red lights. The police had come for her! She knew they would! She could finally get out of here!

A hand covered her mouth and pulled her away from the window.

"Hey!" she yelled. But it really came out as more of an "eff!" Then, she covered her ears. My God, what was that horrible screaming?

"They're not gonna get you," the Joker growled in her ear. "You're _mine_! They can't have you!"

Danger pushed him back and turned to face him. "But what if I _want_ them to get me?" she asked, glaring at him. She braced herself for him to attack her. She tried to ignore the burning Jodi on the wall of the other side of the room, but it was really hard.

"I don't _care_ what you want!"

"What a surprise!"

_"Joker!"_ someone said from a loudspeaker outside. _"Don't make this any harder than it needs to be! Bring out the girl and we won't kill you!"_

"Oh, isn't that a comforting thought!" he said sarcastically.

"Joker, they're gonna take me no matter what you do. I'm not going anywhere with you." Danger was scared stiff the whole time she was saying this, but she tried her best not to show it. This was the only time she'd ever have to stand up to the Joker, and she was gonna make the best of it.

But what if they caught him? They'd kill him! _He deserves it!_ a part of her said. But she couldn't help thinking that it wasn't right. She couldn't let them kill him, no matter how much he deserved to die.

"You can still get out if you let them get me," she said, trying to reason with him. "Go on! You can jump to another roof or something, I don't know! Just get out!"

The Joker walked toward her until he was right in front of her. He didn't say anything; he just stood there, staring at her. "Fine," he finally said. "They can have you."

Danger was surprised, but it didn't compare to the surprise she felt when he grabbed a fistful of her hair and kissed her with so much passion it made her dizzy. She closed her eyes, disgusted with herself that she enjoyed it so much, but before she could even kiss him back, he pulled away.

He gave her an intense look. "But they won't keep you for long," he promised.

And with that, he ran into the bathroom and was out the window just as the cops burst through the door.

"Miss St. Richards!" one of them exclaimed in surprise. "Are you alright?" Immediately, two of them came to her to help her out of the room, while the other two searched the room.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she answered, then turned to the cops who were searching for the Joker. "He just left; he's gone." She was kinda surprised that none of them noticed Jodi, but in looking around, she realized that it was because she was already reduced to a large pile of ashes on the floor and a smoky outline on the wall.

The two cops who were helping her went to talk with the other two quickly. Danger snuck away from them for a moment to grab the knife that was stuck in the wall from where Jodi was. She wasn't sure exactly why she was taking it; it just looked really pretty...

What? It was a really pretty knife, that's all.

Soon enough, Danger and the four cops were outside where she was being ushered into an ambulence. She tried to argue with them, insisting that she didn't need it, but they wouldn't hear it. They put her on a stretcher and everything. It was really embarressing.

As they drove off to the police station, Danger could see, from the back window, the apartment building go up in flames, and the Joker standing in front of it, a black silhouette against the orange lights.


	32. Chapter 31

How the Joker Fell in Love Part 31

Danger was surprised when they drove straight past the hospital. Why did they put her in a stretcher if it wasn't even needed?

Soon enough, they were at the police station.

"Why are we _here_?" Danger asked an officer who was leading her inside.

"The Commissioner has some questions to ask you," he replied.

"I wanna go home," she mumbled, hugging her arms to herself, suddenly feeling very small and young. She wanted her mom. But she surprised herself by not wanting Lee. She wanted her actual mom.

"I know," the officer said, looking at her with sympathy in his eyes. "I'm sorry, but we have to do this. We'll get you back home as soon as we can," he promised with a slight smile.

Danger lifted the corners of her lips in what was supposed to be a smile back, but she doubted that it looked convincing. She sighed again, then felt a shiver run down her spine as someone laughed.

She stopped right where she was and spun around, wide eyes taking in everything at once.

"Danger?" her officer friend asked her, but she hardly heard him.

Her head twitched side to side as she looked from her left to her right, scanning every inch of her surroundings.

The officer tried to put a hand on her arm, but she walked forward a few steps, ignoring him. She looked around once more, slower this time, trying to find what she wanted to see.

No, she didn't want to see it. Dear God, she didn't want to see... She didn't want to see _him_ again.

She shook her head and turned around, muttering an apology to the officers. They walked her inside without questions, but she could practically feel their confusion.

But it didn't matter. All that mattered was giving them what they wanted so she could finally go home.

They shut and locked the door behind her once inside, and suddenly she felt very confined. She shivered as she remembered when she'd been locked in that dark room, and he'd cut her up for the first time.

She couldn't stop herself from looking around again, and tried not to notice the curious looks she got from her escorts.

They turned a corner into a room, and Danger fleetingly noticed that the whole place didn't have any doors. Well, except for the places that absolutely needed doors, like the holding centers they'd passed, and the interrogation room which she was sure she would soon be seeing.

A girl with long red hair was playing cards with a Latino cop on a collapsable table with chairs that didn't look very sturdy. The girl glanced in their direction, then literally did a double-take.

Danger was more than surprised when the girl ran up to her and gave her one of the biggest hugs she'd ever received. But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't stop herself from remembering the time she'd hugged him, and what had happened to her afterward. That was the first time he'd hit her. She automatically tensed up, bracing herself. She wasn't gonna let this girl hit her now.

The girl took a step back, looking a little embarressed, yet her face also showed signs of pity an concern. "Sorry about that," she said shyly. "You don't even know me yet. I'm Aaliyah," she said, putting out her hand, "but call me Ava."

Danger absentmindedly shook her hand. "I'm Danger," she said, her voice a monotone.

"I know," Ava said, giving her a smile. "I'm the one who told the police where you were. I live next door to the apartment."

Danger forced herself to smile at her, trying to shove the memory of the first time she'd seen the apartment out of her head, and the things he'd said to her. "Thank you," she said. "You saved me from... him... and for that I'm grateful."

Ava laughed a little. "I didn't know you were so formal all the time," she joked.

Danger almost laughed. "Sorry, I'm a little out of it right now," she admitted. "Does this mean I can't be Rae anymore?" The word 'formal' had reminded her of her nights with Bruce. She hoped she didn't have to give him up; he was like the light in her darkness.

Wow, she really _was_ being formal and deep right now, wasn't she? She was almost sounding poetic. That would have to stop.

Ava looked surprised. "_You're_ Rae Ledger?" she asked incredulously.

Danger nodded. "I'm actually surprised that no one noticed how alike we look. Didn't _anyone_ pick up on that?"

Ava shook her head. "Nope. Some news shows who were doing your story were also doing stories about her, trying to figure out who she was."

Danger cringed at the word 'was'. Guess she really couldn't be Rae anymore. Her story was out. Bruce had probably already made the connection.

"Did you cut your hair?" Ava asked, leading her down a hallway, which Danger guessed lead to the interrogation room.

She shook her head. "Un-uh. The Joker didn't want them finding me, so he cut my hair." She let out a humorless laugh. "Looks like it didn't really work out, huh?"

Ava laughed a little, and Danger was glad that she was still able to make jokes. Then, she shuddered again as she remembered his laugh, but tried to hide it. "Guess not," she agreed with a smile.

She stopped in front of a door. "Well, the Commissioner, Mr. Gordon, is waiting for you in there. He's pretty nice, but try to give him stuff straight up. He doesn't really like to beat around the bush about stuff like this."

"Are you two friends?" Danger asked. "You seem to know him pretty well."

She smiled knowingly. "I'm just pretty good at reading people," she answered, then opened the door for her.

Danger nodded a silent goodbye to her, then walked into the room.

Ava closed the door behind her.

She walked past a man sitting in a chair and sat down in the one on the other side of the white table. The man had glasses and his brown hair was graying slightly. He had a moustache and squinty eyes, but she had to admit he was relatively handsome as far as older guys go. Not that she was gonna go after him, ew.

"Danger, right?" he asked, his face open.

She nodded. "Mr. Gordon," she replied in return.

"Jim," he said with a smile.

Danger smiled back. "How about we skip this small talk," she said. "I wanna go home, and the more time I spend here is less time there."

Gordon nodded and leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. "So," he started. "Start from the beginning."

Danger let out a long sigh, and told him her story.

Afterward, he leaned back in his chair. "Sounds like you've finished a difficult chapter in your life, huh, Danger?"

Danger blinked back tears as she remembered the last time she'd seen him, only an hour ago.

_"But they won't have you for long."_ She could still hear him whispering the words to her.

"No," she disagreed, and Gordon looked at her. She gripped the knife that was still in her pocket under the table, feeling the blood rub off onto her fingers. She cringed as it cut her, and glanced down at her bleeding finger. As the first drop of blood hit the ground, she said, "No, I don't think it's over yet."

Deep in the recesses of her mind, he laughed at her.


	33. Chapter 32

How the Joker Fell in Love Part 32

Ava had insisted on going with her in the ambulance as they left the police station. When Danger asked why, Ava smiled and said, "I just wanna make sure you're okay."

"What are you, my mom?" Danger asked, smirking.

"More like a sister, I'd say," she countered.

Danger smiled a genuine smile. "I'd like that."

Ava grinned back. "Me, too."

Danger glanced out the window, watching the lights go by. "So it's hospital time now, right?"

"Yep," Ava said. "They're gonna be keeping you there for a while."

"What?" Danger exclaimed, making Ava jump. She pulled against her restraints and tried to sit up. It didn't work. "They can't do that," she snarled. "I wanna go home. I _need_ to go home. They can_not_ keep me there!"

One of the people sitting in the back with her, a woman, touched her arm and muttered something to her about calming down.

"No!" she yelled, trying to unbuckle the leather straps holding her down to the bed. "I have to get _home_! I'm _not_ gonna _stay_ there!"

The woman pulled something out of a trunk. It was needle.

"What are you doing?" Danger asked, feeling her heart start to pound at the sight of it. "No, no, get that _thing_ away from me!"

She tried to grab the needle, but Ava held down her hands. Danger glared at her in shock and anger. "You can't _help_ her!"

"I'm sorry, Danger," she said, pity in her eyes. "It's for your own good, trust -"

"NO!!" she screamed. She tried to look around to find someone who would help her, but the nurse was already pressing the needle into her skin. So she cried for the only one who she knew would always want to help her.

"_HARLEY_!!!!!!!!"

But, of course, she was dead. She couldn't help her anymore. As she saw darkness creeping into her vision, the reality of the situation hit her.

She was all alone.

Danger opened her eyes to bright lights and lots of beeping sounds. She blinked repeatedly, temporarily blinded, but soon got used to it. She looked around as best she could; she couldn't sit up. Her hands and feet were restrained to the sides of the bed she was on.

She was in a hospital room. The new Gotham General that had just been reopened, since the Joker blew up the last one. What if he was gonna blow it up again? He was after her, she knew, so why wouldn't he?

_Help!_ she wanted to yell, but she couldn't find the strength. Something was making her tired. She could hear the beeping get faster, and she looked to her left to find that the heart moniter number was climbing.

Great. Someone would probably come in and check on it, then give her even _more_ drugs.

Maybe she could stop her. She could get the nurse to come close and loosen her restraints, then break out and knock out the nurse, get her ID card, grab her clothes, and use the knife to get out of here. Then she could finally get home.

The door opened, and a nurse walked in.

_Perfect_, Danger thought, getting ready.

"Come on in," the nurse said to some people behind her. "I'll just check on her moniter then I'll leave you alone."

She stepped inside, but so did Danger's dad and her half-brother.

Danger was too shocked to even remember her plan, and all too soon, the nurse bade the three of them goodbye and shut the door, leaving them to their visit.

"Hi, Danger," her dad said, looking away guiltily. "It's been a while, huh?"

Danger didn't say anything. She took her gaze away from him and looked at her half-brother. "What's your name?"

The boy shifted his weight nervously, then looked up at her. "Jack," he said softly.

Danger smiled and felt her heart warm the minute she heard his voice. She loved him already. His voice sounded like that of an eight-year-old angel. "Hi, Jack," she said, giving him her hand. "I'm Danger."

He smiled at her, and Danger fell even more in love with him. She was going to take care of him; she would never let anything bad ever happen to this angelic little boy.

"Jack, could you do me a favor?" she asked, and he nodded. "Could you go see if one of the nurses could get me a glass of water? I'm really thirsty."

He nodded, gave me a smile, then walked out the door.

Immediately, her whole demeanor changed. She glared at her dad and waited for him to start.

"Look, honey -"

"Don't try to pull that happy family shit on me," she snapped. "You left mom and me, and it's all your fault that she's _dead_."

"It's not my fault," he disagreed.

"Oh, really? I'd love to hear how you defend yourself on this one."

"Your mom made a choice, and whether I had an impact on that choice or not, it was still _her choice_. I didn't _make her_ do anything."

"If you had just _stayed_ with her -"

"How could I?" he interrupted. "You didn't _know_ her!"

"Are you talking shit about my _mom_?!"

"Yes! I am! I wasn't going to suffer through her insanity any more than I had to! Even _I_ couldn't stay with her through the entire pregnancy! She was _insane_, Danger, truly. And the pregnancy was _not_ helping. I just hope you didn't inherit any of her tendancies."

"Well, what if I did?!"

"Then you'll probably end up killing yourself, too!" he yelled, then stormed out the door.

Danger ground her teeth together, then suddenly felt really tired. They'd probably put the medicine on a timer. She felt the darkness come up on her again, and sank down into unconsciousness.


	34. Chapter 33

How the Joker Fell in Love Part 33

Danger opened her eyes to darkness. Was it night already? She wasn't aware of how long she'd slept. It could've been hours, days even!

Okay, maybe not _days_... This hospital was a good one, and she was pretty sure they wouldn't knock her out for _days_.

She moved her bangs out of her face, then realized that she was restrained anymore. The leather straps dangled to the tiles from the sides of the bed.

She smiled and sat up, stretching. There weren't even any IVs on her; no hospital stuff in the room at all as far as she could tell. Where they letting her out? Or maybe she'd slept through surgery?

She shrugged nonchalantly and stood up, stretching her legs. Who cares? She was out now, standing and walking by herself, and no one was gonna tell her what do to anymore.

"Danger..." A kind of sing-song came voice from behind her.

She turned around sharply, but no one was there.

Danger furrowed her brow. She _knew_ she heard something. She took a step back into the room, away from the door. "Hello?" she asked, then almost pounded herself on her skull. Stupid, if she couldn't see anyone, there was no one here. End of story. She was probably just hallucinating. Yeah, it was, um... What do they call it? Post-traumatic stress, that's it! She just needed to forget about everything; she needed some time to heal her psychie(sp?).

She turned back around and was almost out the door when she heard it again, but louder.

She whipped around so fast that she felt a little dizzy. Still no one there. Only darkness.

Okay, that time she knew _for a fact_ that she wasn't hallucinating. _Someone_ was in the room with her, and she was gonna find out who.

She ran her hand against the wall near the door until she felt it. The lightswitch. She flipped it on.

A gloved hand covered her mouth, pinning her against the wall by her head. Danger winced in pain, then opened her eyes and realized why they'd covered her mouth. She tried to scream, but nothing came out past the purple leather.

The Joker stared back at her, dark eyes blazing. Once he caught the fear in her eyes, he smirked in his familiar way. "Hello, beautiful," he said, as usual calling her by a petname. "Miss me?"

Danger tried to make a smart remark, but yet again found herself unable to speak. She just kind of let out a few "mmphs!" then realized it was futile. She clenched her teeth behind her lips, and the Joker laughed.

"Have I ever told you how cute you are?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

Danger's eyes opened until they were as big as tennis balls, and she was sure her eyebrows would soon lift up off her face. Struck by shock, all she could do was slightly shake her head in answer. He thought she was _cute_? Where was this coming from?

He smiled a _true, genuine smile_, and looked away. "I didn't think so," he muttered. He looked back at her. "Listen... I hope you know that this isn't easy for me to say," he started.

Danger just looked back at him in confusion. What was he doing now...?

He sighed deeply, then continued, all traces of a smile gone. "I'm sorry," he said shortly. He pursed his lips after he said it, and glanced around the room. Soon, though, he continued. "I... I shouldn't have... done those things... to you." He was obviously having a difficult time getting this out. He raked his fingers through his hair and leaned on his right leg. "I never wanted you to feel... bad... or sad. I just..." He let out a little nervous laugh. "I don't know _what_ I wanted."

He finally looked her straight in the eye and took his hand off her mouth. He placed both hands on each side of her shoulders, trapping her with his arms. He stared intently into her eyes. "I just know I wanted you, _want_ you. I don't know what you do to me... but I like it." He smiled a little. "And I don't it to stop."

Danger just looked back into his eyes, but she felt something in her chest jerk forward at his words. She was having a hard time breathing right, and she felt her face get red.

His eyes turned almost pleading. "Please come back, Danger. I miss you. I want you with me... no, I _need_ you with me." He placed his hands on her cheeks, moving closer. "I won't force you to come back. But _please_... I _miss_ you."

Danger surprised herself by saying, "I miss you, too."

His eyes lit up, but his expression stayed the same. "Then you'll come back?"

Danger smiled, not missing the hope in his voice. "Yes," she answered breathlessly.

The Joker smiled, then kissed her like she'd never been kissed before. There were so many emotions just in that one gesture: passion, love, yearning, sadness, happiness...

Her head swam as his tongue danced with hers, and soon she found herself kissing him back with just as much emotion. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed herself up against him.

The Joker let go of her face and tangled one hand in her hair, and pressing her closer by the small of her back with the other.

_I love you_. The thought had barely even formed itself in her mind before Danger realized that it was true. God, she never wanted this moment to end; it was just too perfect...

"Dangereuse!"

Danger came awake to Lee crying her name and giving her a bone-breaking hug. Even Harry joined in.

Danger was confused. She was... back in the hospital? Her arms and legs were tied, just as they had been when she'd fallen asleep before.

So, all of that... was a dream?

"No," she whispered. She could feel tears gathering in her eyes, and her vision blurred.

"What was that, Dangereuse?" Lee asked, a smile on her face.

Danger hardly even saw her, hardly even heard her. "No," she said, louder, and her first tear fell. She tugged on her arm restraints, trying to wipe away her tears. The resistance it brought only heightened her emotions. "No!" she yelled, making Lee and Harry stumble back a few feet.

"Mr. Thorton, you might want to come in right about now!" Harry shouted to be heard over Danger's screaming.

"What is it?" the man called Mr. Thorton asked, rushing in with a leather briefcase in hand.

"See for yourself." Harry left it at that, then left the room, muttering calming words to Lee, who had nearly burst out in tears.

"Danger, I need to tell me what's wrong," Mr. Thorton said, but Danger wasn't listening.

"He needs me, I need to go to him! Get me out of here, I have to see him! He loves me, he needs me!"

"Miss St. Richards, I believe it's time for your medicine," a nurse who had just entered said with a calm voice.

"NO!" Danger tried to move her wrists, but the Mr. Thorton man tightened her restraints. Danger glared daggers at him. "You _bastard_! He _needs_ me! I have to _be_ with him! We _belong_ together! Let me _out_, I need to _go_ to him!"

The nurse injected the medicine into the IV, and soon enough, Danger saw black once more.


	35. Chapter 34

How the Joker Fell in Love Part 34

Danger shifted in the chair she was sitting in. It was made of some sort of scratchy material, and it seemed to have animal hair on it. It smelled old and musty, and seemed like it would fall apart at any moment.

Mr. Thorton sat in a nearly identical chair on the other side of a dusty wooden coffee table. The table had magazines and books and paper on it, all in no particular order, in fact, in no order at all. Like the rest of the room, it was all disorganized. However, there was a box of tissues on her side of the table within arms reach. How convinient.

This was her first meeting with her new therapist, Mr. James Adam Thorton, Ph.D. He specialized in dealing with post-traumatic stress cases, which seemed to be quite useful for her. She still refused to admit that she had it, because she didn't. She didn't want to feed their constant need to be right.

"So," Mr. Thorton started. "Why don't you just tell me everything that's happened to you?"

Danger sighed. "I already told this to Gordon; surely he... I don't know... briefed you or whatever you call it?"

He shook his head. "No. I'm afraid we're going to have to start from scratch."

She sighed again. "Can I go with the condensed version?"

Mr. Thorton looked skeptical at first, then lightened up. "For now," he promised, then let her start.

"Okay." Danger took a deep breath, then began. "So I went to school, the Joker kidnapped me, he tortured me a lot, then he killed my only friend there, Harley Quinn. Then, he made me kill some other girl, Megan Margheim, and then he kicked me out. Then I came back, and we got mad at each other in a club, then he brought home some whorebag named Jodi. She was a bitch. Then he cut my hair, then tortured me some more, then he burned Jodi to death and let the cops have me. But he told me before he left that they won't have me for long." Danger sat back in her chair once she was finished.

There was a moment of silence while Mr. Thorton took all of that in. "How did he torture you?" he asked.

"Just knives, cutting me up, that kind of stuff. He threatened me one time with a holepunch and a screwdriver."

He nodded. "Have you heard from him in any way since then?"

"Yeah, he gave me a call on my cell yesterday, actually. No, I haven't."

"It doesn't have to be him calling you. What I'm asking, if I can rephrase my question, is... Have you thought about him much?"

"Yeah." She felt no need to lie.

"Like what?"

"Mostly just hearing his voice sometimes here and there, and I always feel like he's watching me when they turn the lights out in my room. Like he could be anywhere, you know?" Why was she pouring her soul out to this guy? She had no clue, but he just somehow felt safe to her.

"Hm I see. And, any dreams you'd like to discuss? Dreams at this stage are very helpful and meaningful."

Danger stopped herself from opening her mouth. He had no right to know about her dream. That was _very very very very very_ personal. She shook her head instead. "Nope. I haven't dreamed since they started that medicine. It must have some sort of effect on the brain like that or something."

"Hm" was all he said. "Well, if you have anything you'd like to discuss, just some to me. I'm always here." He smiled, then stood up, as did Danger. "I believe our session has concluded for the day. I will see you tomorrow." He shook her hand, then she hurried out the door.

Once out of that smelly room, Danger could finally breathe. That guy was creepy, but she _did_ feel a little better. Who knows, maybe he really _could_ help her?

She shook her head. She needed to stop trusting people. Everyone started off with 0 out of 100 trust points at the beginning, not the other way around. She needed to remember that.

She walked out of the building to Ava's car, which was waiting on the curb with the motor running.

Danger climbed in shotgun. "How come you had the motor running?"

"Didn't you feel how cold it is out there?" Ava asked, giving her an incredulous glance.

Danger shrugged. "Not really. I guess that's what you get from being crazy. You never know what the weather's like."

Ava laughed. "You're not crazy," she disagreed. She peeled out of the parking lot and away from that creepy old building.

"Oh yeah? Then how come I have a therapist?"

"Lots of sane people have therapists!" she protested.

"Oh really? Like who?"

Ava gave her a quick glance. "Me."

Damger swallowed. "Oh." Stupid.

Ava laughed light-heartedly. "It's fine, you didn't know. I just a problem with my temper, that's why I have the therapist."

"Ah, revenge streak?"

"You have no idea," she said, her voice somewhere in between humor and warning.

"So where are we going?" Danger had been allowed to be out of the hospital for a few days now, but only for a few hours a day. She really hadn't been any real place, just some fast food restaurants and the movies one time.

"The one place I bet you're dying to see again," Ava answered, then pulled up to a huge building.

"The mall!" Danger exclaimed.

"Mm-hm!" Ava said, pulling into a parking spot with a smug look on her face. "I knew you'd like it."

Once they were out, Danger gave her a big hug. Thank you so much! You have no idea how much this means to me."

"Oh I think I've got an idea. It means just as much as the cost'll be to repair my ribs."

"Sorry!" Danger immidiately jumped back, giving her some space to breathe. "So, are we ready to go?"

"Ready when you are," Ava said, smiling now that she'd recovered the use of her lungs.

"'Kay, let's go!"

It wasn't long before Danger was completely overwhelmed. All the stores, all the people. It was like she'd just returned to her birthcity. It was a place she vaguely remembered, but it was still a foreign land.

Ava luckily knew where she was going. She dragged Danger into every one of her favorite stores, and soon Danger began remembering what it was like to have a friend. She found herself laughing out loud more than ten times, and there were times where she even forgot about the Joker! It was incredible; this was _just_ what she needed.

She and Ava were eating a pizza at the food court. Danger was scarfing hers down; she'd forgotten how deliciously greasy mall food could be, and she ravished it.

Ava gasped suddenly, her eyes as wide as the pepperoni slices on her pizza.

"What?" Danger asked, then followed her eyes. She felt her stomach constrict, and suddenly felt really sick.

Bruce Wayne was walking straight for Villa Pizza, right next to them.


	36. Chapter 35

How the Joker Fell in Love Part 35

The minute Danger set eyes on him, Bruce Wayne glanced over and saw her. He looked confused for a minute, then walked over slowly. "Rae?"

Danger hesitated. She didn't want to lie and say "yes", but she didn't want to say "no" and make him leave. "Sort of," she said, deciding on the truth.

Still confused, he just stood there, looking at her. He seemed oblivious to all the girls staring at him in disbelief. She had to admit, even she'd be surprised at seeing _him_ in a mall.

"I'm Rae, but I'm Danger," she said, trying to clarify as best she could.

"Danger?" he asked in surprise. Then it kind of dawned on him. "You're _nineteen_?"

She smiled sheepishly, but it quickly faded. "It's a long story," she sighed, looking down at the table.

Bruce had offered to give her a ride to his mansion, and Danger accepted. She felt like she had to set things straight with him, tell him the real story. He had the right to know. And she really wanted to still be friends with him after it, if that was possible.

Ava bade her goodbye and drove back to the hospital to tell them where she was going. They let her have more freedom lately, but still liked to moniter her actions pretty closely. She didn't have secret agents following her or anything (as far as she knew) at least.

Bruce walked into the living room after her, being a gentlemen. Danger hadn't met a person in a long time who still obeyed the "ladies first" rule, and it was refreshing to find that chivalry wasn't _completely_ dead.

"So," he started after they both sat in chairs across from each other, "how are you 'sort of' Rae Ledger?"

Danger sighed, for about the millionth time today. "Rae Ledger doesn't exist. The Joker made her up so I could fool you and get close to you." Catching what she was implying, she jerked her head up and looked into his eyes. "I had _nothing_ to do with it. I don't even know what the whole point of it was! He never told me what I was doing. I was mostly just being myself the whole time," she admitted.

"You were lying to me," he muttered, his gaze emotionless, yet she couldn't bring herself to look into his eyes.

"No!" she protested. "I mean, yes. But I didn't want to! Please understand. He was gonna _kill_ me if I didn't. You've seen what he's done! He would've killed me! It was hard enough staying alive for _this_ long!"

"Okay," he said softly, shutting her up. The corners of his mouth lifted up in a very slight smile. "I understand." Then his face turned serious again. "But what I want to know: I know that you're not Rae, but is Rae you?"

Danger took a moment to understand the question, then answered. "Yes," she responded. "I was never being anything but myself around you. And that's the truth."

Bruce was quiet for a long while, and Danger started to feel very awkward and small. She shifted in her chair nervously, waiting for him to say something.

Finally, he broke the silence. "Ra- I mean, Danger, there are obvious reasons why we should forget this ever happened and never speak to each other again."

Danger's face fell to the floor. She knew this was gonna happen.

"But," he continued, "when we were together, I'm not gonna lie, I felt a... connection with you. And, even though it may not be right, I don't want to end that."

Danger felt her heart stop. "You... You wanna keep dating me?" she asked like an idiot.]

Bruce lifted up a corner of his mouth in a boyish crooked smile. "If that's what you wanna call it, then yeah." He rested his hand on her knee. "I really like you, Danger. And I hope I can get to know the _real_ you a lot better."

Danger smiled so big she was afraid she looked a little creepy. "I'd like that," she whispered.

Bruce smiled and kissed her, softly at first, but then turned passionate and deep.

Danger felt her hea swim and kissed him back unconsciously, lost in the feeling of his body against hers.

He lifted her up to stand, then lifted her legs around his hips.

Danger wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him deeper as he walked to his bedroom.

He shut the door behind him, then locked it.


	37. Chapter 36

How the Joker Fell in Love Part 36

Danger came awake to a feeling of pure comfort and contentedness. She couldn't believe last night had just happened.

She used to wonder what she'd feel like afterward. She'd always heard her friends - the ones who already had been with guys - say that it hurt, and you felt like a slut afterward. Like you've disappointed a lot of people, or that you've ended your future. Or you get afraid that you're gonna get pregnant. Or, worst case senario, you feel like "whatever, that was nothing".

But she'd never felt so happy. She was extatic, but calm. It was a really weird feeling that she'd never really felt before. That kind of feeling you get when you're just sitting in bed on a cold winter morning and you don't have to get up for another three hours, so you can just lay in the warmth and go back to sleep. That was the closest she'd ever been to this feeling. And she loved it.

She shut her eyes and snuggled against Bruce's chest, loving the feeling of his arm around her.

She couldn't believe this. She'd always been wrong about him. She remembered the first time she'd seen him in person at his fundraiser. She'd thought he was just some rich, senseless manwhore with a superiority complex.

But now she knew otherwise. He was probably one of the sweetest guys she'd met in a very long time. Perhaps ever! He always wanted to make her happy, and he didn't even care if she was nineteen! He was, what, thirty-two? There was a fucking thirteen year difference!

And yet he loved her for _her_, and didn't care about how old she was.

The Joker never even liked her. He just wanted to hurt her. He just wanted someone who wouldn't fight back; someone he could push around as much as he wanted, and they wouldn't do anything about it.

She'd never realized how spineless she was! All that time, she just let him step all over her! Ugh, she was disgusted with herself.

And yet he acted like he had feelings for her! Like when he got pissed that she was spending so much time with Bruce. Or when she wore that slutty red dress for his party. What was his problem? Why did he hate him so much?

And then Danger felt her heart literally stop. Her mind stopped working and she froze up in fear.

What if he figured out that she'd slept with Bruce?

Bruce groaned as he woke up and tightened his arm around her. "Morning," he said with the whisper of a smile on his face as he blinked the sleep out of his eyes.

Danger hardly heard him. Her mind finally started working, but it was racing too fast for her to keep up with. Her heart was pounding out a beat so fast that someone could dance to it. Her eyes widenend slowly, and she started breathing fast.

Bruce looked worried, then a little scared. He was saying something, but she couldn't hear him. She could just hear him laughing, that same hysterical cackle that he always had. She shook with chills at the way he whispered her nicknames in her ear, at the feeling of his cold hands on her shoulders, holding her where she stood.

Bruce's room faded away, and she was back in her room, in the Joker's apartment. The room was dark, only lit by the light of dusk from the window. The Joker stood, leaning against the wall, arms crossed, looking down, next to it. The light gave made him a silhouette.

Danger couldn't help herself from taking in a sharp breath, and he glanced up at her.

His emotionless face quickly changed to that of happy surprise, and he smirked at her. "Well," he cooed, sauntering toward her lazily, as if he had all the time, "it's been a while, hasn't it, darling?"

"I'm not your darling," she managed to choke out. It sounded a lot less powerful than she'd meant it to be, and she watched carefully for his reaction.

He chuckled. "Right, right. You belong to _Wayne_ now, don't you?"

That actually got her a little mad. "I don't _belong_ to anyone," she snapped, proud of herself for sounding at least little threatening. Even though she really felt a deep connection with Bruce, she would never _belong_ to him, to _anyone_.

The Joker his eyebrows appraisingly, then smiled his cocky smile. "And how would _he_ feel if he heard you say that?"

Danger was a little caught of guard by his question. Why would he care? Since when was he some kind of therapist? "He wouldn't care," she answered. "He knows me, and he knows how I think."

"Oh really?" he asked, a challenging look coming into his eyes. He was in front of her now, and he turned to his left, beginning to circle her. "Saying to you don't belong to anyone generally means that you don't love anyone. And how would our little Brucie feel if he knew you were lying to him, hm?"

"I'm _not_ lying to him!" Danger growled, whipping around to face him. "You have no _idea_ what you're talking about!"

"Oh, don't I?" he asked, getting up in her face.

Danger felt the wall at her back, which was weird, since she was nowhere near the wall just a second ago.

The Joker grabbed her arms just below her shoulders and kept her pressed against the wall. "All you ever do is lie, Danger." Danger was left speechless; he'd actually used her real name! "How many times have I told you how much of a pretender you are? When have you ever told the truth to me? Hm?"

Danger couldn't stop herself from saying the next words that came out of her mouth. After all, this was dream, too, wasn't it? "When I said I love you," she whispered.

Now it was the Joker's turn to be speechless. He just stared at her in shock, his eyes wide. The grip on her arms loosened slightly.

Danger couldn't stop herself. She leaned forward and kissed him.

But the second her lips touched his, he slapped her to the ground. Danger tasted the blood in her mouth and coughed. She pushed herself up to stand and face him.

"_LIAR!!!!!_" the Joker roared, and plunged his knife deep into her heart.

Danger screamed, grabbing fistfuls of her hair, sobbing her eyes out.

"Danger, it's okay!" Bruce said, holding her close. She clutched at his clothes, then finally wrapped her arms around his waist, crying hysterically into his chest.

"He's gonna find me," she cried. "He's gonna find out; he'll know; he'll kill me!"

"Danger, don't worry. You're safe, it's okay," Bruce said, running his fingers through her hair, hugging her softly.

"Please, Bruce, I don't want him to find me," Danger whispered, mumbling into his shirt, soaked through by her tears.

"Don't worry, Danger. He won't find you; I promise."

Danger looked up at him with big, red eyes. "Promise?" she asked weakly.

Bruce smiled down at her and wiped away her tears. "I promise. He'll never have you again. I'll keep you safe."

"How can you be sure?" she asked, calming down, but still looking hopeless. "How can you keep me safe?"

Bruce had to bite back what he was about to say. No matter how much he loved her, he couldn't tell her yet. Maybe later, when she wasn't so... hysterical. It would just freak her out even more. No, he wouldn't tell her. Not yet, at least. "I have everything anyone could have to keep you safe. I'll make sure he never finds you, no matter how much it costs." Yeah, money was always the backup excuse. Just like always.

Danger seemed to believe it. "Thank you, Bruce," she smiled. She cuddled up to him and closed her eyes, finally starting to breathe more normally.

Bruce hugged her to him, feeling his heart rip into two.


	38. Chapter 37

How the Joker Fell in Love Part 37

Danger and Ava laughed through the hallways of Ava's house. It was Danger's first sleepover since she was seventeen, and she was so excited.

Danger stepped into Ava's bedroom and Ava shut the door. She skipped to her bed, then jumped onto it, landing on the mattress sitting Indian-style. "So," she started, "what do you think of my humble abode?"

"I love it," Danger said sincerely.

Ava looked at her quizzically. "Seriously?" Danger nodded. "Huh. _I_ hate it. It's just a boring, tiny little ranch. There's nothing to do."

"Are you crazy? I think it's cozy," Danger smiled. "And you've got a TV in your room, _and_ a phone, _and_ a PS2 with, what, twenty games?"

"I already beat all of them," Ava complained.

"Well, you can play them again!" Danger countered. "Maybe there was something you missed."

Ava just shrugged. "So," she said, suddenly getting animated, "what was it like living with the Joker?" When Danger didn't answer immediately, she continued, "Unless you don't wanna talk about it."

"No, no, I'm fine," Danger lied. She'd have to get over it sooner or later, and Ava had helped her so much already. It would be best to confide in her rather than anyone else, right? "Oh, boy, where can I start?"

"Hm..." Ava thought for a minute. "What was he like?"

"Psychopathic," Danger answered immediately.

Ava laughed. "I mean, underneath all that. He must've had _some_ sort of personality."

Danger thought for a moment. The Joker's personality... She hadn't really thought about that before. She remembered the first time she'd met him, then found herself talking. "He's actually pretty nice as long as you do what he wants. But once you start taking advantage of him, he turns into a murderer."

"So he doesn't like not being appreciated," Ava translated. "Who doesn't?"

Danger thought of the time when he'd carved that wooden girl, then kissed her. "He's really deep and creative, and has ridiculous mood swings and weird ways of expressing himself."

"How so?"

Danger told her about it. She conviniently left out the part about how _she'd_ felt during the kiss. She didn't trust her _that_ much just yet.

"Oh, wow," Ava said, smiling a little. "Go on!"

"You're a gossip, aren't you?" Danger joked, then continued. "Hm, what else is there...?" She remembered how he pretty much adopted Jodi just to piss her off. "He has a really bad revenge streak, and he holds grudges for _a long time_."

She remembered the last time she'd seen him. "He's really possessive," she said, his words ringing in her ears. _"You're mine! They can't have you!"_ Then she remembered how she'd been able to save him from the police. "And sometimes he'll even listen to logic," she finished. "And that's all I've got about him."

"Wow. You talk about him like you've known him all your life," Ava commented.

Danger laughed once without humor. "Well, that's what he does to people I guess."

"So what happened with you and Bruce Wayne yesterday?" Ava waggled her eyebrows. "You were there the whole night."

Danger giggled, her girly side showing through at the mention of Bruce. Suddenly she had no problem confiding in Ava. Bruce was her one weakness, and she knew it. "Promise not to tell anyone?"

"Who am I gonna tell? The hobo down the street?" Ava countered. "Come on, I can keep a secret."

"Okay," Danger agreed. She lowered her voice like she was in junior high, discussing the cute guy across the classroom. "He made love to me," she stated bluntly. She'd always thought the phrase 'made love' was kinda weird, but for her situation, it fit. She'd never felt like that term would apply to the animalistic action of sex, but now she realized that Bruce had managed to give life to the term. He was so sweet to her...

Ava, of course, geeked out. She spent a minute or two blubbering and asking questions about how it was, and what she felt like, did it hurt, and other things of that nature. Danger was a little overwhelmed, and immediately figured out that Ava was definately a virgin. She was glad she wouldn't have to ask in the future. That would be quite a bit awkward...

"So what are gonna do if the Joker finds you again?" Ava asked. "I mean, he's still alive."

Danger swallowed, and felt her heart start pounding. She took a deep breath, remembering Bruce's words. "He won't find me," she said matter-of-factly. "Bruce promised he'd keep me safe."

"How?" Ava looked a little doubtful.

"He has all the money in the world. He can hire, like, a billion bodyguards or something! I don't know, he just promised. And I trust him." Danger crossed her arms.

Ava laughed a little to relieve the tension, then said, "No need to defend yourself!" She stood up. "Come on, my parents are probably asleep by now. We can watch Moonlight!"

"Ohmigod! Mick is to _hott_!!!" Danger squealed as the ran, quickly but quietly, into the family room.


	39. Chapter 38

How the Joker Fell in Love Part 38

Danger opened the door tentatively, feeling very vulnerable in her tiny red dress. The room was dark, and one of the few lights that were on was flickering. She'd expected more from Bruce's mansion. He'd said there was a big party tonight. Where was everyone?

One of the lights flickered on and off a few times, illuminating a well-dressed man with his back turned to her. The light finally stayed on, flickering only a few times more occasionally.

His hair was slicked back, and the suit was a dark color. Blue-ish maybe? Either way, Danger was pretty sure who it was.

"Bruce?" she asked cautiously.

The man lifted his head, but still faced away from her. He cleared his throat quietly, then answered her. "Danger?" His voice sounded a little deeper than usual; that must be the reason he had to clear his throat. Was he sick?

"Are you okay?" Danger asked, walking toward him.

He still didn't turn around. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just got something in my throat, that's all. Been bugging me all day," he admitted. She saw his cheek lift up a little in a smirk. "So, what are you doing here?"

"You said there was a party, remember?" she said, confused.

"Hm?" he asked, and Danger tried to get a glimpse of his face. He quickly turned around though, and snapped his fingers as he remembered. "Oh, right! The party! It's over, actually."

"Why didn't you call me then?" Danger asked, trying to push away the weird feeling she got when he'd snapped his fingers. He never did that, but _someone_ did. She just couldn't remember who... "I got all ready for nothing!"

"No, you didn't!" he protested. He sighed. "Okay, I just wanted an excuse to see you."

Danger sighed, but was still annoyed. Bruce would _never_ do something like that. He was generally a very blunt guy; she liked that about him. He never confused her. But he wasn't acting like himself... "Then why didn't you just _say_ that?" she asked gently, hugging him around the waist from behind. She rested her head on his shoulder and kissed him on the neck. "You don't have to skulk around just to see me."

He laughed once. "I know," he sighed. "I just missed you."

Danger grinned. "I missed you, too." She kissed his neck again, squeezing him gently.

He chuckled softly and turned around. But before Danger could see his face, he covered her eyes and kissed her.

Danger was a little surprised. It wasn't like his usual kisses. It was like a bipolar kiss. It was gentle, but rough; sad, but happy; it made her curl her toes, but sent shivers down her spine.

Danger was about to pull away - something was definately wrong with Bruce - but he pushed her closer by the small of her back and deepened the kiss.

Danger couldn't help liking it, though. Even though it was incredibly obvious something was wrong, she didn't want it to stop. Was there even anything wrong with this, anyway? No. She was kissing her boyfriend. Nothing wrong with that.

But something in the back of her mind nagged at her that this was _not_ Bruce.

Bruce didn't snap his fingers.

Bruce didn't skulk.

Bruce kissed tenderly, not bipolarly.

And there was only one person she knew who did all those things.

Danger opened her eyes wide, her heart pounding. Her mind tried to push her away, but it was like he had some sort of control over her. Her arms wrapped around his neck and she leaned into him.

The Joker smiled and took his hand away from her eyes, as if he knew she'd already figured it out. He pulled away and stroked her cheek with his thumb. "Didn't expect it, huh?" he asked, then gave a quick kiss on the lips.

"Don't touch me," she whispered hatefully.

The Joker laughed. "You know, strangely I don't believe you mean that." As he spoke, he ran his hand down from her neck, along her body, to her waist.

Danger breathed in slowly as his traced her body. Her face heat up and she unconsciously shivered. And she wasn't cold.

He smirked and raised an eyebrow, as if silently saying "I told you so".

She ground her teeth together and glared daggers at him with her eyes. "I hate you," she snarled.

He laughed. "Oh but you said you loved me? Did you _lie_ to me, darling?" He leaned in until his lips brushed hers as he spoke. "Because you know what happens when you lie to me. Don't you?"

Danger swallowed. But she wouldn't let him scare her. Not anymore. Bruce promised that he'd keep her safe. She had to believe him. "I love Bruce. I've _never_ loved you."

The Joker's smug face vanished immediately. He suddenly looked absolutely furious. He pushed her down to the floor, then tripped her onto her back.

Danger held her breath as he kneeled on one knee, the other foot resting on the other side of her.

"I remember... I always loved you eyes. All the emotions in them. It was beautiful." He flipped out his favorite knife and stroked her face with it. "But... it's different. _You're_ different. All I can see in your eyes now is hate. And I don't like it." Then his eyes brightened up, and he snapped his fingers again. "I think you really oughta smile more, beautiful. It would make you _even prettier_."

Danger opened her mouth to scream an indignation at him, but he slung his knife behind her cheek.

"It's okay, precious, don't be scared," he cooed, moving her hair out of her face. "Soon, you'll be just like me!" He laughed wildly, and Danger screamed.

Danger awoke with a gasp.

She sat up in her bed in the guest room of Ava's house. She looked around, her eyes wide with fear, then found there was nothing there. She swallowed, relieved, and found her throat was dry.

She sighed. Great, she'd have to get up know to get a glass of water.

She stood up begrudgingly and walked across the room. She whipped around suddenly, seeing a purple coat.

It was the curtains blowing from the air of the vent.

Danger sighed again. God, she really _was_ crazy. It was just a dream. It's okay.

She walked out of the room and down the hallway. She glanced into Ava's room and almost screamed.

He was reaching for Ava!

She almost cried out to warn her before she realized that it was just her dark blue trenchcoat on the hanger wrong.

She shook her head and decided to go to the bathroom instead of going all the way down to the kitchen. She wanted to get back to her room as soon as possible. She wanted Bruce to be here... He was supposed to protect her. Where was he?

She turned to go into the bathroom.

He was standing in the doorway!

She gasped and ran down the hallway. She had to get to a phone.

He was standing right in front of it!

She turned to get her phone.

There he was!

No, wait, he was there!

No, _there!_

_He was everywhere! Everything! Everyone! Who could she trust?_

She had to get out before he took her again. She had to get away!

Finally she found the front door. She almost plowed through it.

_OHMIGOD HE WAS RIGHT OUTSIDE THE DOOR!!!!!_

Danger swerved her foot to the right to run around him, but she hit a flower pot and tumbled down into the snow.

He laughed at her.


	40. Chapter 39

How the Joker Fell in Love Part 39

She remembered feeling cold. Cold and scared. But she wasn't cold now. She still felt a little scared, though. Where was she?

More importantly, where was _he_?

He could've taken her back when she fell. She could be back in that room, that horrid apartment.

_No._

She needed to stop worrying. Bruce promised that he wouldn't find her, and she had to believe him. Worrying had only made things worse so far.

Danger swallowed, working up her courage. Even if he _did_ get her back, Bruce would save her. She had to believe in him.

She opened her eyes slowly.

"_Danger!_" Ava screamed immediately, hugging her so hard she could barely breathe. "Are you okay?"

"I will be once you stop choking me," Danger whispered.

Ava let her go before the second passed. Apologies flowed readily through her lips. Danger laughed and opened her mouth to say "it's alright".

That's when the phone rang.

"I'll get it," Ava sighed.

"No, wait," Danger snapped, and Ava looked at her in consternation. Something didn't feel right. "I'll get it."

She stoof up - much to Ava's dismay, who muttered something about how she shouldn't be standing yet - and picked up the phone.

"Hello?" she whispered.

_"Hello there, beautiful."_

Danger froze. Her mouth hung open stupidly, though she didn't breathe.

He chuckled. _"Surprised?"_ he asked. _"You should've known I'd find you. How long did you think you could hide from me?"_

"Bruce'll kill you when I tell him about this," Danger whispered, her words sounding a lot less threatening than she'd wanted them to be.

_"Oh, ha ha, oh, right," he laughed. "Brucie. You and I are gonna have to have a little talk about that, hm?"_

"Oh, no. We're not talking about _anything_," Danger growled, her courage finally showing through. "You're gonna hang up now, and _never_ come near me _again_."

He laughed for a while. _"Oh really? Is that so? I'll tell you what, princess -"_

"_Princess?_" Danger spat out, appalled.

He continued, disregarding her outrage. _"You come back with me, and we forget this ever happened, hm? We start again right where we left off. What do you say?"_

Danger was silent for as long as she could stand. "How desperate _are_ you?" she blurted. "No! I'm _not_ going back to you! I saved your life, now leave me alone!"

The other line was quiet. Danger was just about to hang up when he spoke again. _"Then enjoy your time there, Danger," _he snarled, _"'cause I'll find you. And when I do, you're going right back to hell."_

She heard a click, then the dial tone.

Danger set the phone down gently, then turned around.

Ava sat on the edge of the hospital bed, crosslegged. When she saw Danger, she looked up. "Who was that?" she asked. Obviously she hadn't been listening to the conversation.

"Nobody," Danger lied. "Wrong number."

Ava shrugged. "Whatever. Let's hit McTit's." (she means McDonald's lol)

Danger laughed, forcing herself not to look over her shoulder.

_Three Months Later_

"Where are we going?" Danger giggled. The blindfold was a little much when it comes to surprises, but she'd learned to love some of Bruce's old-fashioned ideas.

Bruce laughed a little. "Don't worry, we're here."

"Finally," she sighed. She felt the car stop as he parked. She blinked as Bruce took off the blindfold, and kissed him. "Now, what's this surprise? I hope I didn't wear my good dress for nothing." She gestured down to her black and blue sweetheart-neckline custom dress.

Bruce smiled, got out of the car, and opened her door for her. He took her hand and helped her out. "See for yourself," he said.

Danger looked at the building they were parked in front of. "Oh my god!" she screamed, stopping herself from jumping up and down in front of her favorite restaurant. "Le Petit Cochon! You're taking me to Le Petit Cochon?!"

"If you wanna go somewhere else..." he joked, giving her a hug.

"Oh my god, I love you!" She hugged tightly and kissed him about three times. "Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god!"

"Oh my god, oh my god, let's go in," he mocked jokingly. He wrapped his arm arond her waist and led her inside.

Once inside, they were led to a private table next to a huge window overlooking the Gotham Square Garden (lol Madison Square Garden). They ordered; Danger had a pomegranate martini while Bruce had champagne.

"How are you liking you birthday dinner?" Bruce asked.

"I love it!" Danger smiled. "But it's a day early. How come?"

"Well, I have an early _present_ for you, too."

"Isn't this present enough? You're gonna spoil me." Danger giggled.

"I think you might like this one even more." Bruce reached into his pocket and walked over to her.

Danger's breath caught in her throat. _He was kneeling!_

"Danger," Bruce started, opening the small black box, revealing the most beautiful - and expensive - ring she'd ever seen. The band was entirely made of _diamond_ and one big ruby was set in the middle, with two smaller rubies at each side. "Will you marry me?"

She couldn't breathe. All she could do was mouth the word "yes".


	41. Chapter 40

How the Joker Fell in Love Part 40

March 20th.

Today was Danger's birthday.

And already it was the best day of her life.

Bruce was hosting her 20th birthday party at his mansion, and had invited everyone who had ever even remotely known Danger. Nearly a thousand people littered the Great Hall and living room. He'd gotten She Wants Revenge and Slipknot to play, Danger's top two favorite bands. The dance floor was dark, lit up only by the different colored flashing lights; it quite resembled a nightclub. More presents than anyone could count lay together in a pile at one end of the room, near the stage.

It was a dream come true.

"I don't think I can do this," Danger admitted, pacing back and forth across the floor of Bruce's room.

Bruce smlied and lay his hands on her shoulders in an effort to calm her down. "You'll do fine," he assured her. "Everyone out there is waiting to congratulate you just for being _alive_."

"Well, considering what I've gone through, that's a pretty big accomplishment," Danger pointed out.

Bruce rolled his eyes jokingly. "What I mean is, everything you do, to them it'll be gold. You can't possibly do, or say, anything wrong tonight."

"Are you sure?" Danger asked. "You _know_ how much of a klutz I am."

Bruce grinned. "True, very true. _But_," he countered, "I know you. And once you get out there, you'll know just what to do. You always do."

Danger sighed. "Alright. I trust you." She looked pointedly into his eyes. "But that means that if something goes wrong, I'm blaming you."

"Well then nothing'll go wrong." He tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear and kissed her. "Come on," he whispered, holding out his arm, "they're waiting."

Danger smiled and took his arm, and they walked into the Great Hall.

The first person to reach her was Ava. She was wearing a flowly green dress, making her hair and eyes shine beautifully. "Danger!" she cried happily, throwing her arms around her. "Happy birthday!"

Danger beamed as a thousand people - some she knew and some she didn't - wished her a happy birthday. It was almost exhausting, except for the fact that no matter how much she'd expected him, the Joker didn't seem to be anywhere in the entire huge crowd. Just that was enough to keep a big smle plastered on her face.

Finally a moment came when she wasn't surrounded. She immediately searched for Ava. She found her easily, talking with a guy who looked like a younger Adam Gontier.

Danger felt horrible tearing her away from such a gorgeous guy, but it was necessary.

Ava caught sight of her. "I'll be right back," she quickly said to him, then walked over. "What is it?"

"You'll never guess what happened yesterday," she said.

"Tell me!"

Danger held up her left hand.

Ava squealed and screamed "Oh my god!" about five times. Danger screamed "I know!" just as much.

"When?" Ava asked once she got control of herself. "Did you set a date yet?"

"Sometime in October," she answered, giddy.

Almost out of nowhere, Out of Control by She Wants Revenge started playing. She didn't even realize they'd already gotten set up.

Ava glanced over at the Adam Gontier guy, who beckoned her over. She looked at Danger apologetically.

"Go ahead," she said, smiling.

"We'll talk later," she promised, then left to dance with her new boytoy.

Danger didn't see Bruce anywhere, then sighed and walked over to a wall.

_With her high heel against the wall_

_Kind of dancing, though not at all_

_She had stockings running up to her thigh_

_Snaps her fingers to keep the time_

Danger knew the song very well, but was surprised at how accurately it percieved the situation.

_From the back of the room I saw her there_

_I said "She wants to be alone and I shouldn't dare."_

Seeing as the song had been right so far, Danger looked to the back of the room.

Sure enough, a dark man was staring at her. He was pale, wearing all black, including a black Oliver-Twist-style hat. When she saw him, he lifted one corner of his mouth in a crooked smile.

_But then she noticed me glance at her_

_I had no choice but to dance with her_

He walked over, and before she knew it, Danger was dancing with him. The song seemed to dictate every move they made.

Soon enough, Out of Control was over, These Things had come and gone, and Tear You Apart came on.

Something about the man seemed to change then. Before, he'd just been fun, dancing like any other friendly person. Now, there was purpose in every step. Every move seemed fluid and unpredictable. Everything about him reminded her of a lion, or a snow leopard: beautiful but deadly.

And yet she couldn't convince herself to walk away.

_I want to hold you close_

_Skin pressed against me tight_

_Lie still, close your eyes girl_

_So lovely, it feels to right_

True. Somehow, it did feel right. And yet, it was wrong. So wrong, but so right.

_I want to hold you close_

_Soft breath, beating hard_

_As I whisper in your ear_

The man, behind her now, moved her hair away from her ear and whispered - in time with the song - "I wanna fucking tear you apart."

The song ended, and Danger backed away from the man. He just stood there, staring at her with that crooked smile on his lips.

Danger reluctantly turned away from him, irrationally afraid of turning her back on him. She found Bruce against a wall with his typical glass of champagne.

"Bruce, call off the party," she said quickly, leaning on him.

"What?" he asked. He pushed her back enough to look into her eyes. "Why? What's wrong?"

"He's here. He found me."

Bruce's eyes softened and he hugged her. "Don't worry, baby, he hadn't found you. You need to let it go. I promised I'd keep you safe, and I have. Security is tight; there's no way he could be here."

"You're sure?"

"I'm sure. But I'll tell them to double up just in case, okay?"

"Okay." Danger smiled.

Bruce kissed her forehead. "Now go have fun. I'll be right back." He then proceeded to walk away.

Danger walked back to the wall she was at previously. The man had seemingly disappeared. Danger was thankful and unhappy at the same time about that.

Slipknot took the stage, and began The Nameless.

Something about the lead singer seemed off, however. He looked different from his last concert...

Oh, it was the man she'd been dancing with!

_Oh my god! She'd been dancing with the lead singer of Slipknot!_

Pathetic (benign)  
Accept it (undermine)  
Your opinion (my justification)  
Happy (safe)  
Servent (caged)  
Malice (Utter weakness)  
No toleration  
Invade (committed)  
Enraged (admit it)  
Don't condescend (don't even disagree)  
Desire (decay)  
Dissapoint (delay)  
You've suffered then, now suffer unto me.  
Obsession, take another look.  
Remember, every chance you took.  
Decide, either live with me  
Or give up - any thought you had of being free  
(Don't go) I never wanted anybody more than I wanted you  
(I know) the only thing I ever really loved, was hate.  
Anyone (NO) Anything (YES) Anyway (FALL)  
Anybody (MINE) Anybody (TELL ME)  
I want (YOU) I need (YOU) I'll have (YOU)  
I won't LET ANYBODY HAVE YOU  
Obey (ME) Believe (ME) Just trust (ME) Worship (ME) Live for (ME)  
Be grateful (NOW) Be honest (NOW) Be precious (NOW) Be mine (JUST LOVE ME)  
Possesion (feed my only vice)  
Confession (i wont tell you twice)  
Decide - (either die for me)  
Or give up - any thought you had of being free.  
(Don't go) I never wanted anybody more than I wanted you  
(I know) the only thing I ever really loved, was hurting you.  
(Don't go) I never wanted anybody more than I wanted you  
(I know) the only thing I ever really loved, was hate.  
(Yeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaahhhhhh)  
Stay inside the hole, let me take control. (Dominate)  
You were nothing more, you were something less (innocent)  
Something has to give - something has to break (omnipresent)  
Fingers on your skin, let my savage in  
YOU DESERVE IT.  
YOU DESERVE IT.  
YOU DESERVE IT.  
YOU DESERVE IT.

YOU DESERVE IT.  
(Don't go) I never wanted anybody more than I wanted you (i wanted you)  
(I know) the only thing I ever really loved, was hurting you. (was hurting you)  
(Don't go) I never wanted anybody more than I wanted you (i wanted you)  
(I know) the only thing I ever really loved, was hate.  
You're mine (you are you are)  
You're mine (you are you are)  
You're mine  
YOU'RE MINE

The crowd went wild when the song ended, but Danger was frozen. All these songs were _way_ too accurate; it was scaring her. She looked around. Where was Bruce?

"Thank you, everyone. Good evening!" the dark man said. His voice was so familiar, but it was disguised. "Where's Danger?"

Half the crowd was instantly shoving her to the front. Once there, the man held out a hand and helped her up to the stage. He put one arm around her waist. "Well, Danger, you don't look any different." He turned to the audience. "Yes, she and I have quite a history, don't we, beautiful?" His voice returned to normal as he spoke.

Danger saw Bruce come in out of the corner of her eye.

So did the Joker.

"Hello, Brucie!" he exclaimed, pulling Danger closer. "My best wishes to you two!"

"Let her go," Bruce threatened.

"_Danger!_" Ava yelled, jumping up onstage.

"Ava, what are you -" Danger tried.

"Oh, ho ho! So you made a friend!" the Joker laughed. "Pretty, too! I must be a lucky man!"

"Oh, really? How so?" Danger snapped. "Just look at your face!"

The Joker grabbed her throat and smiled. "How I missed that old spark in you," he cooed. "Now I finally have it back."

"What makes you say that?" Danger said through clenched teeth.

"Because now, there's no one to stop me," he answered. "Not even your _darling_ Batman!"

"Batman?" she asked, confused.

He turned her head to look at Bruce. "Have another look at your _fiance_."

Danger gasped. She couldn't _believe_ it! "Bruce?" she asked in disbelief.

Bruce's eyes said it all. "I'm sorry, Danger," he said. "I was going to tell you, but -"

"Face it, Batsy," the Joker interrupted. "You _lied_ to her. Lied to the love of your life! How can she trust you now, hm?"

Danger couldn't do anything but stare. Why hadn't he told her before?

"Danger, I'm so sorry," Bruce whispered.

The Joker tsked. "Well, this is all very heartbreaking, _but_..." He pulled out a detonator. "Bye-bye, Batsy! Hope you enjoyed the party!"

He pressed the button.

As the building blew up in flames, Danger heard the Joker yelling, "Happy birthday, Danger!"


	42. Chapter 41

How the Joker Fell in Love Part 41

Danger opened her eyes, breathing heavily. Her eyes darted around the room, searching for anything familiar. Where was she?

And... _Oh God!_ Why did she _hurt_ so bad?

She bit her lip as she pushed herself up, her arms aching so bad that she felt like crying. Once sitting, she held her arms out in front of her.

Her right arm was fine mostly, just lightly burnt from the explosion; most likely just first-degree. Nothing to worry about. But her left arm...

Mostly only the bones were left. The muscles that were still attached were a black and crimson mess, and the tiny bits of skin were burnt to a crisp. She held her hands out in front of her. One, red and injured; the other, bones, held together only by black muscles. It was a wonder she could still move it.

Danger couldn't breathe. She stood up, hardly aware of where she was going. She soon found herself across the room, looking into the mirror of a vanity. Her hair was messed up, but luckily it looked like nothing but the ends were burnt too badly. All her hair was still there.

She moved it out of her face, then tried to remember how to breathe.

The burn on her right arm continued up, on her shoulder, up her neck, along the side of her face, and finally ended at her eye. Somehow, the burns from her shoulder to her face weren't too severe; there would be scars, but they'd heal.

Her eye, however...

She disgusted herself by thinking immediately of Two-Face at the sight. The eyelids were burnt off, the eye red and swollen, the iris blue in contrast to all the red and black. Almost like the eye itself were crying. Around the eye, the burns continued in a horrid circle of scars and blackened skin.

She blinked, and only her left eye actually blinked. Even so, her vision went in and out as if she'd normally blinked. She realized that she was blind in that eye.

Her vision blurred as her eye teared up. No, she couldn't allow herself to cry. She blinked away the tears and moved her bangs in front of her face again. It would take a little while for them to grow out enough to cover the eye completely, but it would do for now.

She turned away from the mirror, unable to look at herself any longer.

One look at Ava, though, and she nearly cried again.

Not only was she horrified that the Joker had brought him with her - and would probably torture her just as he would Danger - but she could hardly bare to look at her.

She hadn't been burned at all.

Danger was flooded with relief and fury at the same time. She was happy that her friend hadn't been hurt at all, and didn't have to wake up to pain.

But now she'd have to look at her _every day_! Every time she'd see her would be a reminder of how she was abhorrent and repulsive.

And Ava would pity her now. She didn't _want_ to be pitied. She would _not_ be _pitied_.

Danger sighed. No, she couldn't think like that. Ava wasn't one to pity people; that was one quality she'd liked about her. She'd understand. She feel bad for her for a little bit, but would then be done with it.

Danger sat on the edge of the bed and looked around. There was no way she was gonna get out, and she wasn't gonna wake Ava up, so she might as well figure out where she was gonna be staying for the next... while.

It was a lot nicer than the Westwood Apartments. The walls were splatter painted purple over the base, green. The floor was covered with white carpet, and the ceiling had slightly tinted lights here and there. The bed was a four-poster with - were they called curtains? - thin black fabric hanging off the frame, and tied with red decorative ropes to each pole. The sheets were green and purple.

The vanity, of course, was across from the bed. There was a walk-in closet with clothes, just like the apartments. The bathroom was really nice, on the next wall from the closet. The door out of the room was on the wall next to that.

And the door opened, nearly breaking off of its hinges.

Danger jumped up to her feet in surprise, and found her heart pouding outside of her chest as the Joker sauntered in, his eyes on her.

He said nothing as he walked up to her. Danger straightened her spine to show that she wasn't afraid of him, but she knew he knew she was.

He stopped a foot in front of her, leaning on one side lazily. "Like the new place?" he asked, gesturing around. "I had some spare time since you were gone, so I decided to upgrade."

"That's nice," Danger said briskly.

"Hm," was all he said. "Seems like _you_ had some free time, too, hm?"

"You could say that," she answered; he took a step closer to her.

"I _am_ saying that," he said. His eyes darkened. "And I'm saying... that I didn't like it." He took another step closer and he was right in front of her, nearly up against her. Danger couldn't move back; she was between him and the end of the bed.

"I didn't expect your approval," she snapped, tensing up. He was gonna hit her, she knew it, and she wanted to be ready for it.

The Joker raised her eyebrows. "Good," he said, "because you didn't get it." He punched her under her chin.

Danger's head snapped back and she cracked her spine on the edge of the bed, ending up in a heap on the floor. She coughed up blood and wiped it from the corner of her lip. God, she had such a headache now...

Then she screamed.

The Joker ground his heel onto her left hand, right on her ring finger. When he lifted his foot, her beautiful engagement ring was crushed into the bone of her finger. He kneeled down to her. "Isn't this great?" he asked with sadistic excitement. "Now you'll never have to take it off!" He laughed hysterically and lifted her up with him to stand. He put his hands on her shoulders and looked into her eyes. "God, I missed you," he said. "It's been so _boring_ around here lately. Now the _fun_ begins!"

He gripped her left hand hard, making her scream again.

"Remember dancing with me?" he asked. "That was fun, I guess." He lifted his arm and twirled her twice, then suddenly flung her against the wall. He laughed as she fell. "_That_ was way more fun!"

Danger stood up, holding herself up with the wall. Was it just her or was this worse than before?

The Joker seemed to notice, too. "This is just gonna be tougher than before for you now," he said, echoing her thoughts. He walked up to her and grabbed her face in his hand. "None of this would be happening if you'd just stayed with me," he whispered. "It's all your fault."

He kissed her, while squeezing her left arm till she cried out.

"You're the devil," she spat out when he pulled away.

"Welcome back to Hell, precious," he retorted, then slammed her head into the wall.


	43. Chapter 42

How the Joker Fell in Love Part 42

Ava woke up in a strange room she'd never seen before. And, even weirder, there was a man standing across the room, his back to her.

"Hello?" she tried.

It worked. He turned around immediately, but somehow made it look slow.

Ava tensed up. She hadn't realized it was the Joker, but now she realized that she was stupid not to have seen it before. The purple trench was kinda obvious now that she thought about it.

"Hi," she said stupidly. What was she doing? Idiot! He was probably just gonna kill her anyway! Why make small talk with the time she had left?

"Hey," he said with a slight smile. "Ava, right?"

She furrowed her brows in confusion. "Yeah...?" Why was he making small talk, too?

There was an awkward silence, and Ava could never stand those in the first place. "Look, are you gonna kill me or what?" she asked finally, quite bluntly.

He looked surprised and confused. "I... wasn't planning on it, but okay." He smiled and pulled out a knife from a random pocket.

Ava held her hands out in front of her in protection. "That wasn't what I meant!" she said quickly. He was already right in front of her by the time she'd finished her sentence. "I mean, feel free to stick with _your_ plan. Of _not_ killing me. That one _really_ sounds good; _much_ better than my plan."

The Joker laughed quietly and sat down next to her. "Are you afraid of me?" he asked, grinning slightly at her.

"Kinda, actually," she answered. She didn't feel able to lie to him for some reason. And what would be the point? He'd find out and kill her anyway.

"Why?"

"Well, for one, you have a knife in your hand," she pointed out.

He stuck the knife in his pocket. "No I don't."

Ava laughed, then cleared her throat. Wow, he was actually kinda funny, and a little silly. "Okay... looks like I'm gonna have to find new reasons," she joked. "Um... you kill people, you tortured my best friend and drove her insane, you just ruined her birthday party -"

"Wait, I drove her insane? Really?" he asked. He seemed like an excited little kid. It was actually kinda adorable.

Ava laughed once. "Yeah, she was pretty messed up for a while," she admitted. She didn't feel right talking about Danger behind her back, but it was kinda like word vomit. She couldn't stop.

"Yes!" he jumped up on his feet. He laughed and lifted Ava up onto her feet. "This calls for a celebration!" He spun her around once, twice, three times, then suddenly stopped her and...

_Kissed her!_

Ava hardly had enough time to blush before he was nearly dancing out of the room. She fell back on the bed, and touched her lips where he'd kissed her. _Wow..._ she couldn't stop herself from thinking.

Danger looked up at the Joker as he practically skipped into her room. Her wrists her bound behind her back, and she was sitting in the corner of the dustiest and most ill-suited room he had for someone to live in. "What are _you_ so happy about?" she asking, her voice scathing.

"Oh, don't act like you don't know!" he said, smiling wide. He kneeled down in front of her and lifted her chin with his thumb and index finger. "I told you I would, and I _did_!"

Danger yanked her head away from him. "What are you talking about?"

He grabbed a fistful of her hair at the back of her head and pulled her closer. Ignoring her groan of pain, he whispered in her ear, "You can't be strong forever, my dear. I'll break you, beautiful, sooner or later. Sound familiar?"

Danger swallowed. That was what he said to her on her first day in the apartments, when he'd proven that she was afraid of him.

He pulled back a little, just enough to see her entire face. "And I heard that I was right."

Danger's eyes widened. There was only one person there that knew about that, and that was...

"Mm-hm. You cute little friend isn't as trustworthy as you thought she was, hm?" He pulled her closer again. "Looks like I'm the only one you can trust here, my dear." He laughed wildly and lifted her up with him by her hair.

"Ow!" she complained, and tried to pry his hand away with both of hers. It was useless, though, and she knew it. But she at least wanted to pose _some_ kind of threat, even a little tiny one.

"Come on, beautiful," he said, tightening his grip. "I'm gonna give you a new room."

Something in the way he said that just didn't sound good. She shivered and tried to swallow the lump in her throat. God, he was gonna pull out all her hair like this...

They went down two flights of stairs - frighteningly like the apartments - and finally came to the door to the basement.

"So _that's_ my new room?" Danger asked. "The _basement_?"

"You'll take what you get, little girl," he said.

"Ooo, not as fond in the petnames, are we?" she mocked.

He grabbed her face, so tight that it was painful. "Listen, _darling_," he said, purposefully using a sickeningly sweet tone on the petname to prove her wrong, "if you feel like whoring around with Wayne, fine. And, since your taste has obviously plummetted dramatically, I figure you'd have no trouble doing my men a few favors, hm?"

Danger opened her mouth to retort, disgusted, but he was already pushing her down the stairs. She tripped on her feet and fell, tumbling down, and hit her head on the wall.

"This here's Danger," the Joker called down. "Have your fun, boys!"

Danger stood up quickly as the Joker laughed hysterically and shut the door. There were at least six men in front of her.

And every one of them was looking at her as if she were... Well, she really didn't want to think about that one.

She opened her mouth to scream.


	44. Chapter 43

How the Joker Fell in Love Part 43

Alfred Pennyworth rode down the elevator to the basement lair that he and Master Wayne had occupied the last time Wayne Manor had been burnt down. He found Master Wayne sitting in his chair in front of the multi-screen television set. In front of him: thread, needles, adhesive bandages, and rubbing alcohal.

Alfred sighed. Normally, he'd make some smart remark, but considering the circumstances at present, he figured he'd better keep to the butler talk. "Good morning, Master Wayne," he said. "Stitching yourself up good I see?"

He just grunted.

Alfred stood there for a moment, then walked over. He'd already seen Master Wayne's injuries before, but it still pained him just to see them.

His entire chest was nearly stripped of skin, his shoulders and upper arms as well. Nothing seemed to be charred, though, so that was good. Still...

Master Wayne grit his teeth as he dabbed an alcohal soaked cloth on the bare muscle. His eyes were hard with determination, to keep the pain from taking over. He set the cloth down and reached for the needle and thread, then began to stitch up an open cut.

"Master Wayne," Alfred started reluctantly, "what are you planning to do about this?"

"I don't know," he grunted shortly. He winced as he messed up with the needle. He backtracked, then quickly got back on course. "I'll figure it out."

"I mean no disrespect, Master Wayne, but this... _man_... has been killing people. _Is_ killing people, probably right now, and I don't expect it's the best idea to run in on this headfirst."

"Well, that's not what I'm doing, is it, Alfred? As far as I can tell, I'm not running into anything, let alone headfirst."

"But, sir, _something_ must be done -"

Master Wayne stood up swiftly, turning to face him, a death glare on his face. "_You're out of line, Alfred!_" he growled. Silence lasted for a few moments before he continued. "I will do something about this. But I won't give him an advantage over me. As far as I know he wasn't hurt at all by the explosion, and I can't let him use that against me."

Alfred waited until Master Wayne had turned back around, about to return to his recovery. "But Danger -"

"_Danger -_" he started, then caught himself. He exhaled slowly. "Danger will be fine," he said finally, his voice harsh and quiet with unleashed anger. "I'll make sure of it." His fists were clenched tightly to his sides, and Alfred could swear he saw a few drops of blood hit the white tile. "If that murdering psychopath so much as lays a hand on her..." He turned around and pinned Alfred with a look that chilled him to the bone. "... I will kill him."

"Master Wayne -" he tried.

"No, Alfred. I made my decision."

"But sir, you've always said that Batman only had one rule, one that he would never break."

He sighed. "I know, Alfred. But this is Danger. And I can't keep putting her in harm's way like this. I won't. And if that means killing the Joker... then I swear, I will find him and kill him."

Ava hid behind the door as the Joker walked past her. He slammed the door to his room the second he got inside. Ava sighed and bit her lip. God, if she got caught...

Ooo she didn't even wanna think about that.

She walked down the steps as quietly as she could, fortunately making no sound that she could hear.

Soon enough, she was in front of the basement door. She took a deep breath, exhaled slowly, gathered her courage, then put her hand on the doorknob.

Her bravery faltered for a minute, and she paused to listen through the door. Maybe nothing too bad was going on down there. She hoped so, at least.

She could hear low voices - more than three, she was sure - and Danger's voice, getting higher and higher until it didn't even form coherent words. Then a muffled scream.

Consumed with rage, Ava flung the door open and charged down the stairs, eyes blazing, teeth clenched.

The scene was disgusting. One man had a hold of Danger's right arm and was kissing her neck. Another had the other arm and was grabbing her breasts and tearing at her shirt. The third had torn her skirt up to the hem and was kissing his way up her thigh. Yet another was in front of her, his hand tangled in her hair, his other grabbing tightly onto her ass, making out with her furiously and shoving his tongue down her throat. The other two were now making their way over to Ava.

"Another one?" one of them said.

"Boss is being real nice today, huh?" the other sneered, then they both laughed.

"Sorry, boys," she growled. "I'm not here for your entertainment."

Danger finally had a moment to breathe as the man in front of her pulled away for a moment. "Ava!" she started to say, but it turned into a gasp as the third man's head disappeared under her skirt. She began to scream and cry but the other man slammed her head against the wall and continued to kiss her.

"Danger!" She heard Ava yell her name, but her vision was blurring up from the tears. Of all the things the Joker had done to her, this was by far the worst.

The man in front of her - he'd called himself Trek before - pulled back again, and she breathed in and out hysterically, trying to catch her breath. He took it the wrong way. "You like that, don't ya, babe?" he muttered in her ear.

"Go fuck yourself," she snarled through clenched teeth. She tried to kick him, but the man under her skirt had his hands on both her thighs.

"Oh, why would I do that when I have you?" He laughed then stuck his tongue in her mouth again.

Danger's mind finally started working, and she bit down as hard as she could.

Trek roared in pain and stumbled back, and knocked the first guy off balance. Taking advantage of it, she punched him, then pushed the other one grabbing her arm away. She slammed her fists down on the third guy's back, and he fell to the ground.

Danger ran away from the four men and found that Ava had just knocked out the other two. "Come on, before they wake up!" she said and grabbed her wrist, dragging her upstairs. Danger tried hard to keep up.

"Where are we going?" Danger asked.

"Out of here!" Ava answered. "God, I figured you had it bad, but _shit_! How could he _do_ that to you?"

"He's evil! He can do anything he wants!"

Ava threw open the front door, then ran into someone.

(picture of Maroni goes here)

He looked at her like she was crazy. "We're... here for the meeting?"


	45. Chapter 44

How the Joker Fell in Love Part 44

Danger stepped back, pulling Ava with her to let Salvatore Maroni inside. He walked in, revealing a few more people behind him.

"Where is that clo-" Maroni started, letting the others walk in behind him.

"Oh, you made it!"

Danger turned around quickly and saw the Joker walking toward them from the stairs. "I'm so thrilled," he finished, with just a hint of sarcasm; it might've just been her imagination. He walked up to Maroni and muttered something to him that Danger couldn't hear. She tried to hone in to what they were saying, but she was already too late; he'd already said what he needed to say. He moved past him to a blond guy with a black leather trench coat. "James," he said, as if he were speaking to an old friend.

(insert picture of James here)

He smirked and shook the Joker's hand. "Glad to see your face is still just as messed up," he said, and Danger was surprised to hear that he had an English accent.

"But not nearly as bad as yours," the Joker countered. Before James could say another word, he moved to the next person, a girl with shoulder length brown hair and a big smile.

(insert picture of Charlotte here)

"What up, brah?" she asked in a high voice that sounded like she was on something, and gave him a big, unanticipated hug.

The Joker let out a laugh. "Charlotte," he acknowledged.

She bounced back, and James opened him mouth to say something, raising his eyebrow at her.

"Sickening."

Everyone turned to look at the man who spoke. He was tall, with choppy black hair and shadows around his eyes.

(insert picture of Benji here)

Everything was silent until the Joker spoke. "Benji," he said, a slight smile on his face. But something was up with his eyes... He moved his hand away from him as if the aura around him was toxic.

Benji lifted one corner of his mouth in a crooked smile, but his eyes looked patronizingly at the Joker.

"Let's just get this started," Maroni said, already heading to a room that Danger hadn't even noticed until now.

Everybody walked inside, and Danger tried to follow after Ava, but the Joker grabbed her arm. "Hey!" she proclaimed.

"You're not going in there," he said, keeping a smile on his face.

"Oh, so I almost get raped, and now I'm not even allowed to sit in on one of your little meetings? Wow, this _is_ punishment!"

He opened his mouth to say something, but Benji cut him off. "What's taking you out there? Let's go."

The Joker gave her one last glare, then walked inside.

Benji kept the door open for her and smiled at her as she walked past.

She smiled back and mouthed "Thanks."

He just nodded and went to his seat.

Danger leaned against the wall, arms crossed. What was this meeting about, anyway? _Probably something stupid about robbing a bank,_ she thought, and sighed softly.

"So," the Joker started. "Who here wants to overthrow the Dark Knight?"

"I'll kick his ass!" Charlotte yelled, standing up and slamming her fist down on the table.

"That's great, Char, now sit down and shut up," James said to her, smiling, but glaring with his eyes.

She shrugged and sat back down.

The Joker played along. "Good," he said, motioning swiftly with his hand to Charlotte, who basked in the attention. "But we already tried killing him, and looked how that worked out."

"So what do you want us to do?" Maroni asked, being arrogant and cocky.

"I'm getting to that," he snapped. "So, I got the only guy who's ever gotten close - closer than I have, at least - to killing him to keep him busy. While _we_ tear Gotham apart."

"Sounds great," Danger said suddenly. She felt uncomfortable with all their eyes on her, but she continued. "But who's the guy?"

The Joker looked at her a little longer. "Nothing you need to concern yourself with, _sweetheart_," he cooed finally. His eyes flashed to Benji for only a moment, she caught it. She decided not to say anything about it now.

But she was sure to bring it up later.

The rest of the meeting was basically what she'd expected it to be: stuff about robbing banks, money, murder, arson, typical bad guy stuff.

The thing that was actually kinda funny, though, was the way James and Ava were staring at each other the whole meeting.

Danger smiled. It was good that Ava could get guys so easily. First that Adam Gontier guy, now James… She really had a lot going for her.

The meeting ended, and everyone cleared out of the room. From what she'd gathered, the reason there weren't more people there was because each of the people were the leaders of their own little groups and such. _Apparently there are mobs inside the Mob_, Danger thought, smiling at her own little joke.

She watched from afar as James and Ava flirted with each other. She was happy for Ava, but she couldn't help feeling jealous.

That was when Charlotte went over to the duo. She started yelling at and pushing Ava, and eventually, a big, overblown catfight insued. Over James.

Funny this is, he just leaned back and watched, a big grin on his face.

Danger walked over. "You seem to be enjoying this, huh?" she asked, leaning against the wall next to him.

"Quite a bit, actually," he replied in his British accent. God, she could never get enough of foreign people.

The Joker finally came over and broke up the fight.

Charlotte instantly turned sugar-sweet the second he walked up. "We were just playing," she said in a sing-song.

"Well, there'll be plenty more time to _play_ later," he reasoned. He glanced pointedly at Danger. "Show them they're rooms," he ordered, then started to walk away.

"Woah, wait," she said, running after him. She put her hand on his arm, and he stopped instantly. "They're _staying_?" she asked.

"You can't invite the Mob over then kick them out of your house, now, can you?" he countered, then walked to his room.

Danger sighed. _Great_, she thought. _I don't even know where their rooms _are_!_ She turned around to face them. "Uh, okay guys! Just, uh follow me!"


	46. Chapter 45

How the Joker Fell in Love Part 45

Danger improvised when it came to showing the "guests" their rooms. She put them near each other, and let Charlotte room with James. She really would rather stay away from that argument, after seeing how hard she can hit. She got enough of that already anyway.

When she showed Benji his room, she surprised herself by wanting to follow him in. She shivered and walked away before he even closed the door. _No_, she told herself. _Don't get sucked in by his incredible hottness. Bruce is coming for you, and then you both will get married, and the Joker will go to jail, and get executed, and you'll live happily ever after._

Good thing she had it all planned out.

She made a straight beeline for the Joker's room, but hesitated at the door. It was nearly a reflex by now; she didn't want to confront him. That always led to bad things. She _really_ didn't want any more bad things today.

Finally, she forced herself to open the door and walk in.

"Shut it behind you," he said. He was facing away from her, looking out the window, like he used to do at the apartment. He had his hands resting in his pockets, but even from behind he didn't look very relaxed.

Danger stood there for a moment, but finally she made herself speak up. "That was a seriously shitty thing to do," she said. Alright, she was keeping it relatively nice. For now. She was just warming up.

"What are you talking about?" He had a monotone. Matter of fact, so did he when he told her to shut the door. Why hadn't she noticed that before? It was weird hearing him talk without any... enthusiam? Theatrics? She wasn't sure what the right word was for how he usually talked. But with this listless tone of voice, he hardly seemed like himself.

"I'm talking about leaving me to face the _Mob_!" she clarified, raising her voice. "You _know_ they could kill me easily if they wanted to!"

"Do you honestly think I care?" He still didn't turn around.

Danger was dumbstruck. "_What_?" she asked in disbelief. She scoffed. "So - ... So you go to all this trouble to get me back, and you just want me to _die_?"

"If you keep this up, then _yes_."

"Well then what was the _point_ of the whole thing?"

"I guess there _wasn't_ one, was there?" He whipped around as he spoke, and anger was flaring in his eyes.

For once, it didn't faze her. Danger ground her teeth together and started stomping towards him. "You _egotistical, sadistic, arrogant, belligerent_ -" she stopped right in front of him "- _ASSHOLE!!!!!_" She slapped him hard across the face, so hard he stumbled back a few steps and leaned against the window.

He just stood there for a moment, eyes wide, his hand holding the side of his face. He was staring at the floor, then his eyes slowly drifted up to hers. For just one second his eyes were empty pools, but they quickly filled with hate.

The Joker pushed himself up from the windowsill, his movements offbalance and awkward. It was almost wrong for him to move that way, compared to his usual fluid, predatorial grace. With every estranged step he took toward her, Danger took a step back. Her common sense was slowly returning, and her mind was slowly flooding with fear at the look in his eyes.

"What makes you think that you can talk to me like that?" His voice was quiet, but somehow that was even more threatening than if he'd been yelling at her. By the time he'd finished the question, Danger was at the wall.

"Don't you dare -" she tried to say, but he grabbed her wrists and slammed her back into the wall.

He glared at her, and snarled, "I really don't think you're in any place to tell _me_ what to do, hm?"

"But _I_ am."

The Joker turned his head just in time for Benji to punch him in the face. He stumbled back and hit the window, then slid down to the floor. There was blood where his head cracked the glass.

"Are you alright?" Benji asked, putting a hand on Danger's shoulder.

She was surprised when she saw real concern in his eyes. "Yeah," she said absentmindedly, her voice hollow. His eyes were amazing... "I'm fine."

He nodded, almost to himself. "Good," he muttered. "Go to your room, okay? I'll take care of this."

She nodded once, almost mesmerized by his eyes. She couldn't move. It was a strange feeling, and she wasn't sure she liked it.

Finally, Benji turned, and the spell was broken. She headed for the door, turning her back on them. She heard a punch, a crack, and a grunt. She wanted so badly to look back, but she knew she wouldn't be able to bear it. She bit her lip and leaned against the wall next to the door, listening to the beating.

Neither of them said anything the whole time. They just kept beating up on each other, and she was pretty sure Benji had the upper hand.

She was right. When he walked out, Benji didn't have a scratch on him, except for a small bruise on his left cheekbone. Before he could see her, she hid behind the door of the room across the hall and watched through the crack as he turned back around to face the Joker.

"I would've thought you'd have learned not to hit girls anymore, Jack," he said, then slammed the door on his way out.

Danger furrowed her brow. _Jack?_


	47. Chapter 46

How the Joker Fell in Love Part 46

Bruce grabbed his mask tightly in his hands and turned the corner, only to be confronted with Alfred, standing in front of the door.

"Where are you going, Master Wayne?" he asked, his voice, as usual, void of emotion. Yet his eyes said everything.

Bruce sighed. "I know what I said ealier, Alfred, and I won't unless I need to. I'm just going out to look."

Alfred sighed, and Bruce knew then that the argument had been dropped, at least for now. "Alright, but you've been neglecting your business duties of late. Tomorrow you have an interview at 1:30, with a Miss Dillion -"

"Great, I'll take care of that," Bruce said shortly, cutting him off. "Now I really have to go, Alfred." He slipped on his mask and opened the window. "Don't wait up." And with that, he jumped out the window and glided off into the night.

For hours he scowered the city, looking for anything that might lead to the Joker. But he found nothing. The gangs didn't know anything, the hobos didn't know anything (except that the world was doomed and would blow up soon, but he ignored that), and there weren't any clues or trails left behind.

"Hello, Batman."

Except for one.

Bruce turned around sharply, and laid eyes on the one man he thought he'd never see again. "Harvey?"

"No," he answered immediately. "Harvey died two years ago. It's Two-Face."

"No," Bruce said fervently. "No, Harvey, that's not who you are -"

"Yes it is." It was strange how calm he was. "It's who I've always been. I'm just finally man enough to accept it."

Bruce tried to speak, but Harvey continued.

"And you need to admit to who _you_ are, Batman." Harvey chuckled. "Maybe this name would fit _you_ better, huh? Living your double life? One with Danger, and the other trying to find her -"

"Don't you dare talk about her!" Bruce rushed him, but before he knew it, he was face-flat on the ground, with Harvey's foot on his back.

"You can't get her back," he growled. "She belongs to him now, and that's how it's gonna stay."

"Over my dead body," Bruce snarled back, unable to hoist himself up, despite his wild efforts.

Harvey scoffed. "Don't be so cliche." He lifted his foot.

Bruce saw black, felt pain, then saw nothing.

Danger waited until she'd heard Benji's door slam shut to reenter the Joker's room. She did so very hesitantly, afraid and apprehensive. She wasn't sure if he was still mad, or... She swallowed. What if he was dead?

She almost hit herself. What kind of dumbass question was that? Who _cares_ if he dies? If anything it'd be a relief to society, let alone _herself_! If he was dead, she'd be free!

Those were her thoughts until she saw the body.

She gasped, but didn't scream. She didn't want to draw attention to the room; Benji might come back. He might even be looking for her now! _No, Danger,_ she thought, _don't be irrational. You heard him go into his room. He's probably just sitting in there cooling down. Yeah._

But what was she supposed to do with a _corpse?!_

"Um," she stuttered. "Um, um, um, mmm! What do I do?"

That's when he blinked. (you didn't really think he was dead, did you? haha shame shame)

Danger bit her lip to keep from squealing with joy, though she tried to convince herself it was from surprise. It didn't work very well. She ran over to him and kneeled beside him. "Joker?" she asked.

He didn't answer. He didn't even seem to be awake. He'd drifted back into unconsciousness, but at least he wasn't dead.

Danger sighed inwardly, relief flooding and relaxing her. "Okay," she whispered, moving his hair away from his face, "let's get you someplace more comfortable."

Finally, but not without plenty of trouble, she set him down on his bed and propped his head up with pillows. "There," she said, proud of her work. "Oh, wait." She searched around the room and found a blanket draped across the end of the bed, then lay it across him carefully. As she fixed it to fit over his feet, she heard a groan. She quickly turned to face him.

He shut his eyes tightly and groaned again, then sighed. He rested his head back on the pillow Danger had set up for him, then looked confused. He hadn't opened his eyes yet.

"Are you okay?" Danger asked, making him snap his eyes open and stare at her. She tried her best to ignore it, and kept fixing the blanket. "You were hurt really bad - well, you still _are_ - and I thought you were dead." She smiled and glanced at him. "You really scared me."

He said nothing. Just looked at her, confused.

She tried not to be fazed. His thoughts were probably traveling a little slower than usual, understandably. And not to mention, he had a wide line of dried blood on the side of his face that she hadn't noticed before coming from down from his hairline. She went to the bathroom and quickly got a wet washcloth, then brought it back in. "Why did Benji do that to you?" she asked and she gently cleaned off the blood from the bottom of his chin.

He didn't appear to be answering, so Danger just left the question out there in case he wanted to. For a while, she just cleaned up blood wherever she found it. Eventually, she decided to make sure he didn't have any other, more serious wounds, so she demanded he take his shirt off.

He looked at her quizzically, but did as she said. She was surprised he did it on his own. This proved that he wasn't answering her questions purposefully. Normally, she'd be mad, but right now she let it slide. He obviously didn't wanna talk, so she wouldn't force him to.

As if he'd heard her thoughts, he said, "I don't feel much like story telling, so I'll keep it short. Benji went to school with me, and he dated Pepper for a long time. He was gonna propose when I'd killed her. He still has a grudge, but we do business for the sake of his money."

"Okay," Danger said, leaving it at that. _I should've known it had something to with Pepper,_ she thought. _It always does._

"I'm sorry," the Joker muttered.

That caught Danger off guard. "What?" she asked in disbelief after a short hesitation.

He turned his head just enough to look her in the eyes. "I need to stop comparing you to Pepper. You're not her, and she isn't you. And it's wrong of me to think that you should be anything like her."

Danger was quiet for a moment. _He must've hit his head really hard!_ she thought. "Thank you," she smiled, and went back to cleaning his wounds silently. He went back to sleep shortly after she began again. _He'll probably forget about it when he wakes up_.


	48. Chapter 47

How the Joker Fell in Love Part 47

Bruce tugged on his shirt begrudgingly, grinding his teeth as he moved his arms. He was trying to act normal around Alfred, so as not to worry him. But of course it was pointless.

"I know it hurts, Master Wayne, but you have to get through this interview first," he reasoned. "You can't let her know that you're hurt. That will result in -"

"Questions that should never be answered," Bruce finished as he pulled out a navy tie from the drawer to match the suit he had laid out on the edge of his bed. "Yeah, Alfred, I know. Don't worry; I've pretended for this long. What could possibly go wrong?"

"Plently of things, now that you've just jinxed yourself," Alfred responded. With a look from Bruce, he said, "I'll prepare Miss Shaw," and left.

Bruce sighed as he slid his battered arms through the sleeves of his coat. He fixed his hair in the mirror, then buttoned up his jacket. "Alright," he muttered to himself, then walked down to the conference room.

And at the other end of the table sat a woman that could give Marilyn Monroe a run for her money in the contest of America's Sex Symbol.

(insert pic of Dillon here)

He swallowed, trying to remember his faithfulness to Danger. Strangely, however, the longer he looked at the beautiful woman before him, the easier it became to forget about her for a moment.

Okay, more than a moment.

She was turned halfway away from him, so he could get her full profile. He felt his mouth go dry as he subconsciously raked his eyes along her body, her full lips, her bountiful curves, her tan legs, and the skirt that showed just enough to make him completely forget that this was a conference room and not a Playboy Mansion. He cleared his throat in nervousness.

At the sound, she turned to face him, and that didn't help much. She wore a low-cut white blouse that ruffled out around the neckline, and a fitted black suit over it, matching the short-enough skirt. Her black heels added an easy three inches to her height, and yet he still had to look down at her slightly, and somehow he found that idea incredibly sexy.

She walked over to him, crossing each foot in front of the other in that coveted model-like walk, and held out her hand for him to shake. "Hello, Mister Wayne," she said. She had an almost teenager-like voice; it was adorable. "I'm Dillon Lee. I'm here for the interview." She smiled, and it lit up the room.

"Uh, yes, sit please," he said, pulling out the chair next to his. Normally, it was the chair on the other side of the table, but he felt like he could overlook that this one time.

"Thank you," she said, and sat, crossing her legs.

Bruce sat in his chair, turning it to face her, completely aware of how her raised ankle brushed his leg every so often as they talked.

Maybe this interview wasn't going to be so horrible after all.

Danger opened her eyes sharply, and was immediately furious with herself that she'd fallen asleep. She glanced at the clock and saw that she'd only taken a five minute snooze, but it did nothing to quell her anger. She walked over to the bed where the Joker still lay, unmoving except for his chest rising with every breath.

She had to hold her breath for a moment. She'd never really had the chance to see him so at peace before, and she had to stop and memorize the look on his face. It just proved that he was human. Crazy, but still human, and that kinda made him seem less bad. And anything that made him seem less bad was a blessing in her eyes.

But all too soon, the picture perfect scene was ruined. The Joker opened his eyes and blinked, instantly looking at her and nothing else. His expression was the same as it was last night: almost furious with a mix of confusion.

Danger sighed inwardly and knead her lips between her teeth. That look always freaked her out, but she was surprisingly getting used to it. So she looked him straight in the eyes and walked over to him, saying, "Good morning."

He said nothing. He just watched her warily, tensing his entire body with every one of her steps toward him.

Danger's shoulders sagged at this, disappointed that he didn't trust her still. Then she clenched her teeth together. She needed to stop being so sympathetic! She didn't care if he trusted her or not!

So why did that look seem to sit like a weight on her chest?

She pushed the thoughts aside and felt his forehead. He was still a little feverish, but not by much. Good, he was getting better. "Your fever's gone down," she informed him.

"Why are you helping me?" he asked in a monotone, almost as if it were an accusation. His expression didn't change.

Danger stopped what she was doing and thought about that for a moment. Why _was_ she helping him? He'd never helped her before. What was she getting out of it?

And then she realized that she didn't care about what she was or wasn't getting out of it. So she answered, with a shrug, "I just want to. That's all."

He furrowed his brow. "I don't understand."

Danger looked at him, surprised.

"What?"

She shook her head. "Nothing. It's just..." She laughed a little to herself, quietly. "You'll think it's stupid."

"I think everything you do is stupid."

She sighed. She had to assume that that was his way of saying 'No I won't'. "You never talk about your faults; you're practically narcissistic in that way. And you just admitted you didn't understand something. I don't know, I guess it just sort of caught me off guard."

It was quiet for a while, then the Joker spoke. "You noticed that?"

Danger shrugged again. "I notice a lot of things. Whatever, you know?"

"No, not whatever." He tried to sit up, then groaned in pain.

"Hey, be careful!" She put her arm behind his back and helped him lean back against the pillows. She sighed in exasperation. "If you stress yourself too much, you're gonna open up all your wounds again and I'm gonna have to fix you up _again_. Do I look like I want that?" She turned her head to face him and their noses almost touched.

"What else do you notice?" he asked, as if he hadn't heard her. His eyes were so intense, she couldn't help but stare.

When Danger finally caught my voice, her mind decided not to filter her thoughts, and she blurted out, "I noticed that your face is right in front of mine."

He smiled a little. "You're stupid," he muttered, then kissed her.

Normally his kisses were so full of emotion, so much so that it was almost overwhelming. But this one was surprisingly peaceful. And she found it perfect.

She couldn't stop herself. She kissed him back, her head clouding and her eyes closing as his tongue entered her mouth. He put his hands on her waist and pulled her down on top of him, and she set her legs on either side of his hips, straddling him. He pulled her shirt off and turned her over on her back, so he was on top. She couldn't help but moan at the feel of his chest against hers, his body pressing her down into the mattress, and she wrapped her legs around his waist. He broke the kiss, only to trail kisses along her jaw and down her neck as he unhooked her bra. Danger arched her back towards him and sighed as he kissed her collarbone and tossed her bra off the side of the bed.

"Joker," she breathed.

"Jack."

Danger glanced at him. "What?"

He looked down at her, his eyes, for once, not full of hate. "Call me Jack," he said.

She smiled slowly. "Jack," she said quietly, trying it out. She liked it. And she couldn't believe what she said next, but she knew it was the truth. "I love you, Jack."

He looked incredibly surprised. "I've loved you for a long time, Danger," he finally answered.

"Show me how much you love me, Jack."


	49. Epilogue

How the Joker Fell in Love Part 48 (Epilogue)

Joker and Danger are together now. Danger still doesn't approve of him killing, but she doesn't stop him. They adopted Jack, Danger's half-brother, after Joker killed her biological father (that one Danger did approve of).

Bruce hired Dillan. They are dating, and Bruce is going to propose in three months. He got rid of Two-Face and put one of the Mob leaders, Benji, behind bars, much to Joker's pleasure.

Danger still keeps in touch with Alfred, unbeknownst to Bruce or Joker. Alfred is Jack's godfather.

Ava ran away and went back home. She is dating James now, the Mob leader, and has somehow become good friends with Charlotte.

Danger sent a letter to Lee and Harry, letting them know who she was with and that she was happy. She told them that it would be best for all of them if she didn't come back. They are still angry and they never wrote back.

Danger is pregnant. It is a girl, a daughter to be named Harley.

The End

Also, I don't own the Joker. hehe


End file.
